


An Infinity of Summers

by dontsaycrazy



Category: Free!
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, College!Haru, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut, Teacher-Student Relationship, Time Skips, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, kid!Haru, lifeguard!Makoto, teacher!Makoto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2018-02-28 03:59:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 35,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2718008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontsaycrazy/pseuds/dontsaycrazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he’s eight, Haru’s parents take him to the local aquatic centre. Haru finds it tedious at first, being surrounded by loud kids who have no apparent respect for the water. But soon, he finds a reason to be there every Sunday: the warm green eyes and gentle smile of a certain lifeguard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

     Haru doesn’t remember a single moment of his life that didn’t involve an almost reverent love for water. Even when he’s not _in_ or _near_ the water, he’s always thinking about it, about the crystalline surface that welcomes him with open arms, and the tranquil transparency that makes him want to close his eyes and float in it for the rest of his days. At a very young age, Haru had already found the love of his life, and yearned for nothing more than to submerge in its immensity forever, and be _free._

     Yes, Haru loves water. What he doesn’t love, however, is public pools. In fact, he despises them.

     When his parents told him, one shiny Sunday morning in the begining summer, that they were taking him to Iwatobi’s aquatic centre, he was thrilled. But when they arrived there, his expectations of a romantic reunion with his beloved water were completely and utterly crushed. The pool was big, clear, and not too deep, and it seemed refreshing enough to make anyone forget about the almost unbearable heat of the early summer. And it would’ve been perfect, if it weren’t full of loud, snotty kids, who insisted on defiling it with their screaming, crying, and cannonballing.  

     “Come on, Haru-chan!” his mother said sweetly, knowing better than anyone about his son’s undying love for water. “There’s the pool!”

    But Haru, possibly for the first time in his eight years of existence, didn’t want to get anywhere near the pool. Ignoring his parents’ concerned looks, he sat away from the water, and proceeded to sulk profoundly. _Stupid kids, with their stupid faces, and their stupid yelling…_

     Not even a minute had passed, before Haru heard approaching footsteps that he decided to pointedly ignore. He didn’t want to talk with his parents. It had been their dumb idea to bring him to that dumb place. But the gentle voice that reached his ears didn’t belong to any of his parents, much to his surprise.

    “Hey, what’s wrong, buddy?” the stranger asked, sounding worried. “Are you hurt?”

     Haru didn’t want to talk to his parents, let alone to a meddlesome stranger. So he just kept wilfully staring at his toes, and his small frown became deeper.

     “Where are your parents?” the stranger continued to inquire. His voice hadn’t lost one trace of gentleness. If anything, he sounded even more concerned. Haru didn’t care if the stranger was concerned or not, he just wanted to be left alone until his parents realized that he hated this place, and took him home. But when he looked up to provide an answer, every intent of rudeness died instantly in the back of his throat.

     His blue eyes found a set of profound green orbs, warm and welcoming. And matching the stranger's placid gaze, a light, almost tender smile adorned his lips, leaving no doubt that such a soft voice couldn’t belong to anyone else. Haru tried once again to make the words leave his mouth, but they refused. Now, Haru wasn’t a talkative kid, but he had never had a problem with voicing his thoughts. _Until now._

_~•~  
_

     At first, Makoto wasn’t going to take the job. Despite Nagisa’s insistence, he was sure that he was not cut out to be a lifeguard. But he ended up accepting his aunt’s offer, because he didn’t really have anything else to do during summer vacation, and a little extra money wouldn’t hurt. Also, being the manager’s nephew allowed him free use of the installations, even after closing time.

     Maybe he wasn’t sure at first, but as soon as he began to work, Makoto started to wonder why he hadn’t taken the job before. Being a lifeguard was a rather simple job, since the kids’ pool wasn’t too deep, and most of them were constantly being watched by their parents. During the slow days, he was allowed to take a small swim with the regular customers, who had developed an undeniable love for him, judging by the kids’ insistence on calling him “Mako-chan” (despite Makoto’s protests). Having two younger siblings had taught him exactly how to deal with children, and he really enjoyed being around them. Needless to say, Makoto had never had problems dealing with kids. _Until now._

     He couldn’t help but to worry when he saw the dark-haired boy alone, seated so far away from the pool. Upon closer inspection, the young lifeguard noticed the absolute misery reflected in the boy’s face, and decided that approaching the kid was the best course of action. Taking care of the younger costumers was his job, after all, and he was starting to worry that something might have happened to the boy.

     Makoto didn’t expect an immediate response from the sulking kid, so he wasn’t surprised when the small figure kept his face hidden, and his mouth completely shut. So he tried again, this time asking about his parents, doubting that such a young boy was there alone.

     If Makoto didn’t expect an immediate response, he definitely didn’t expect the stunning set of blue eyes that met his gaze when the kid finally turned to face him. Makoto had never seen eyes like those, deep like a thousand oceans, and shining with an infinity of stars within them. But as beautiful as they were, the most impressing thing about the boy’s eyes was their sincerity, laced with a certain wisdom that made it difficult to believe that they belonged in such a young face.

     Makoto was a little taken aback (in his defence, he had a weakness for beautiful eyes, even when they were owned by a boy who couldn’t be older than his siblings), but he quickly regained his composure. He crouched next to the dark-haired boy, who didn’t take his eyes off him. Seeing that the boy didn’t look hurt, which made some of his worry dissolve, Makoto offered him another kind smile, 

     “What’s your name?” he tried this time. He got an owlish look and a couple blinks as a response, and he was about to ask something else when a small, timid voice finally reached his ears.

     “Haruka…”

     “That’s a nice name!” Makoto chuckled, relieved to have finally received an answer. “My name is Makoto. Nice to meet you, Haruka!”

_~•~_

     _Makoto._ Haru repeated the name inside of his head, and decided that it fit the stranger. He looked at his toes once again, finally being able to tear his eyes from the lifeguard’s warm green ones.

     “So, tell me, Haruka…” Makoto’s voice distracted Haru from his thoughts a few moments later. “Is something wrong?”

     Haru looked up at him and felt a small frown return to his face. He stared at the pool, full of annoying strangers, and then at his parents, who were watching his exchange with Makoto from a safe distance. Lastly, he looked at the young lifeguard again, and forced himself to answer, trying to sound less upset than he really was.

     “There’s too many people.”

     “In the pool?” Makoto asked, surprised, and Haru nodded, pouting a little. “And what’s wrong with that? You don’t like people?”

     “They’re too loud…” Haru answered, and his annoyance increased when he heard Makoto laugh. He turned to look at him, but once again he felt any trace of anger fade at the sight of Makoto’s smile.

     “I have to agree with you.” There was a moment of silence, pending above them and threatening to become awkward, when Makoto’s excited voice reached Haru’s ears once again. “I have an idea! Where are your parents, Haruka?”

     The boy pointed at his mom and dad, and watched Makoto sprint towards them after requesting him to stay right where he was. Haru was a little taken aback, but he had no intentions to leave his new sulking spot any time soon. So he just waited for Makoto to come back.

_~•~_

     “Where are we going?”

     “You’ll see!”

     After requesting permission from his parents, Makoto had taken Haruka away from the kids’ area, and into a small corridor that linked the loud pool, to a bigger, and definitely quieter one. As soon as Makoto opened the door to the Aquatic Centre’s Olympic pool, Haruka’s blue orbs got as big as saucers, and his lips parted a little. Makoto could’ve sworn that he had never seen someone get so visibly excited at the sight of an empty pool. It was certainly adorable. Haruka’s parents had mentioned their son’s love for water during their small conversation, but the boy’s reaction had been unexpectedly adorable, and Makoto couldn’t stop the small chuckle that left his lips.

     After a few moments of silent appreciation, Haruka turned to look at Makoto, asking for permission with his enormous eyes. It only took one smiling nod for the kid to run excitedly towards the water, making a small splash when he dove gracefully into the pool. He resurfaced a few moments later, floating face-up with his eyes closed, and looking so utterly relaxed that Makoto had to fight off the urge to join the boy in the water.

     Instead, he walked towards the pool and sat on the edge, right next to Haruka.

     “Is this better?” he asked. The boy nodded, and opened his eyes to look at Makoto.

     “Thanks,” Haruka muttered, and that was enough to bring a smile to Makoto’s lips.

     “You’re welcome, Haruka.”

_~•~_

     After a small arrangement with his aunt, and many “ _thank yous”_ from Haruka’s grateful parents, Makoto began to take the boy with him to the centre’s Olympic Pool every Sunday (and sometimes on Wednesdays, if Haruka’s parents could afford it) during his lunch hour. He had to admit that he liked spending time with Haruka, even when the boy was not a fan of speaking, and it was certainly worth it when he watched his relaxed figure float around in the pool, eyes closed and dark hair dancing around his face in the water. Somehow, it was as if water loved Haruka as much as he loved it, welcoming the boy with open arms, and holding him close every time he was submerged in the pool. It was a sight that made Makoto’s chest burst with tenderness.

     “Haru,” the boy says on the fourth Sunday, startling Makoto out of his thoughts (which had nothing to do with big blue eyes, deep as the universe itself, _thankyouverymuch_ ) “You can call me Haru”.

     “Okay, Haru!” Makoto says, smiling widely, and as much as the boy tried to hide it, he could notice a slight blush covering Haru’s cheeks, still wet from the pool.

_~•~_

     On the sixth Sunday, Makoto tells the boy that he won’t see him until next summer, because he has to go back to school, just like Haru. Haru is disappointed, because he likes Makoto, and he likes the pool, of course.

 _He likes Makoto_ , he thinks. He likes his smile, and his laugh, and the color of his hair. He likes how he talks too much, and is always trying to make him smile, and he also likes that he hasn’t given up on telling him the dumbest jokes and puns he can come up with, despite the apparent futility of his attempts (apparent, because Haru actually finds most of them funny, despite the fact that he would _never_ let Makoto know). And most of all, he likes the color of his eyes, that warm green that greets him every time he walks into Iwatobi’s Aquatic Centre, the same warm green that he finds himself thinking about sometimes, just before he realises that he misses Makoto. _He is going to miss Makoto._

     But Haru doesn’t tell him any of those things, and just settles for a mumbled _“Okay”_ , before submerging his face in the water until his blush disappears, and he can once again look at Makoto, who is, as always, smiling at him from the edge of the pool.

_~•~_

     Haru is there the first Sunday of the second summer, and he has recently turned nine. Makoto has been impatient to see him again, because it has been a year since he last saw him, and he has to admit that he has really missed the boy. Somehow, he stops himself from running towards Haru, and instead walks to the entrance to greet him, noticing from the distance that the boy’s hair has grown, and that he has gotten taller. _But his eyes remain the same_ , he thinks, and that thought alone is enough to make his smile get even wider.

     “Welcome back, Haru!” he says, crouching down to meet his eyes. “It has been a while, hasn’t it?” Haru nods, and blinks at him, sporting the same blank expression that Makoto has grown used to during last summer. “So, shall we go to the pool?”

     And then, Haru’s eyes get so bright that Makoto’s breath gets caught a little bit in his throat, because although he has not forgotten how beautiful the boy’s eyes are, he can’t help but to be amazed every time he rediscovers the infinity of stars that shine within that seemingly endless blue.

_~•~_

      On the second Sunday of the second summer, Makoto finally gets in the pool with him. They spend every moment that they can playing and swimming during the rest of summer, laughing together (because Makoto has finally accepted Haru’s silent smile as an equivalent to his own loud laughter) at Makoto’s terrible puns, and Haru thinks, for the first time in his life, that maybe he has found _something_ that he likes as much as water.

     And maybe that _something_ has a lot to do with green eyes and a gentle smile. 

_~•~_

     On the first Sunday of the third summer, Haru receives a gift. It’s a wonderful illustrated book about marine creatures, and every page is full of colourful pictures of tropical fishes and different types of coral. But the one that Haru likes the most, is the picture of the dolphin, silver and shiny against the blue immensity of the ocean. When he looks up with inquisitive eyes, his gaze meets a familiar green one.

     “Your parents told me that you turned 10 a few weeks ago. So I figured I should get you a present!”

     “Why?”

     “Well, friends get presents for each other, don’t they?”

     “Friends?”

     “Yes! You are a very precious friend to me, Haru.”

     Once again, Makoto has managed to make of Haru a human being incapable of forming words. So the boy just presses the book against his chest, and does his best to hide his blush behind his bangs.

_~•~_

     On the fifth Sunday of the third summer, the black-haired boy arrives with something clutched tightly between his hands. When he and Makoto enter the ever-empty Olympic pool, Haru finally reveals his treasure, and hands it to the young lifeguard. It’s a blue, dolphin-shaped keychain, smiling happily on Haru’s hand.

     “Whoa, it’s so cute!” Makoto almost squeals, because it _is_ cute. But there’s something far cuter, and that is Haru’s attempt to hide his reddened face while he deposits the little rubber dolphin on Makoto’s hand.

     “I want you to have it,” the boy mumbles, looking at his toes.

     Makoto looks at him for a single moment, before he feels a small lump forming at the back of his throat. He would’ve never expected such a gesture from the stoic boy who had come to the centre every Sunday for the last three summers to swim with him. But here they are, and Makoto can’t do anything but to feel really touched.

     “Thanks, Haru” he finally chokes out, with such sincerity in his voice, that Haru is almost forced to look into his eyes. “I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

_~•~_

     On the sixth Sunday of the third summer, Makoto doesn’t know how to tell Haru. So he doesn’t.

_~•~_

     On the first Sunday of the fourth summer, Makoto is nowhere to be seen. Haru’s mom takes him to the manager’s office to ask about the young lifeguard, and the boy’s heart drops to his feet when he learns exactly _why_ the boy with the gentle smile and the warm green eyes is not there, on the first Sunday of the fourth summer.

     Makoto has left for college, in Tokyo. And he is not coming back. Not this summer, or the next one.

     On the first Sunday of the fourth summer, when Haru’s eleven years old, he decides that he never wants to go to Iwatobi’s Aquatic Centre again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, there! This is my first MakoHaru fic, I'm so nervous! ^////^ Let me know if I made any mistakes. English is not my first language, so any corrections are highly appreciated!
> 
> I was thinking about continuing this fic, fast-forwarding to when Haru's in college. Let me know if you would like that! :D


	2. Chapter 2

     “I still don’t know what you’re doing in Tokyo. You should be here, Haru, you don’t know what you’re missing on!”

      Haru sighed, and switched the phone to his left ear, holding it in place with his shoulder while he took out a bunch of books form a nearby box. Unpacking was not a particularly exciting task, and Rin calling him _once again_ to complain about Haru not being in wonderful, _perfect_ Australia wasn’t making it any easier. If at least the redhead wasn’t so loud, he could’ve just ignore him and pretend he was listening, but that wasn’t the case.

     “How’s Yamazaki?” Haru said, interrupting what was probably Rin’s seventeenth complaint in the last fifteen minutes. He didn’t really care about Yamazaki, but he didn’t want to hear about how amazing Australian beaches were, _again_.

     “Sousuke’s… trying…” Rin’s voice was barely audible when he answered after a few moments of silence. “Long-distance relationships are tough, you know?”

     Haru didn’t know. He didn’t even know what a normal relationship was like. It was not like he really cared. There had never been anyone that Haru got interested in, despite the countless confessions from fidgety, blushing girls he received in high school. So no, Haru didn’t know.

     “But it’s not like you’d understand, anyway!” Every trace of anything that wasn’t completely annoying had disappeared from Rin’s voice when he voiced Haru’s own thoughts. “Right, virginal mermaid?”

     “I’m gonna hang up.”

     “Sorry, sorry! Geez, you’re too sensitive, you know that?”

     Haru wasn’t too sensitive. He just wanted ten minutes of peace to finally unpack and settle in his new apartment. Ten minutes of peace that he didn’t get for another half an hour, and only after he promised Rin that he would call if he needed anything ( _it’s not like he can do much from Australia_ , Haru thought), and that he would at least try to eat something that wasn’t grilled mackerel.

     But even after the call was ended, Rin’s words still echoed in Haru’s head, much to the boy’s dismay. _I still don’t know what you’re_ _doing in Tokyo._ Haru didn’t really know, either. When his parents asked, he was able to convince them that Tokyo University’s gigantic Olympic pool had been his real reason to leave Iwatobi. But Rin wasn’t so convinced: _“So, you’re moving to a gigantic city full of strangers, to live away from everyone you know, just for a pool? I know how much you love water, but I smell bullshit, Nanase!”_

_Stupid Rin and his stupid capacity to make Haru question every single one of his decisions._

     When every last one of Haru’s belongings was set in place, and he could finally begin to prepare dinner (grilled mackerel, of course, because _screw Rin_ ) the reasons as to why he had decided to study in Tokyo finally began to fade away from his mind.

_~•~_

     Just like everything else in the city, Tokyo University’s campus was gigantic, and full of fast-walking, busy people. And just like every other place Haru had visited since his arrival at the capital city, it was big enough for the dark-haired boy to get completely lost. So lost, that he ended up arriving fifteen minutes late to his first class. Ignoring the teacher’s annoyed look, he sat down in the furthest seat he could find, and tried not to fall asleep during a particularly uninteresting lesson of _Treatment of Water-induced injuries_.

_~•~_

**A Quick Summary of Nanase Haruka’s First Day of College:**

Conversations started: 0.

Friends made: 0.

Notes taken: 0.

Unsuccessful attempts to stay awake during morning classes: 2.

Ignored text messages from Rin: 3.

Excitement for tomorrow’s practical lessons at the university’s gigantic Olympic pool: 100%.

_~•~_

     It took every ounce of self-control available for Haru not to strip down and jump into the pool the moment he saw it. Instead, he walked quietly into the changing rooms, doing his best to ignore his classmate’s loud and seemingly shallow conversations while he changed into his swimming trunks. Every inch of his body _ached_ to submerge into the water. After all, as much as he loved it already, his apartment’s small tub was nothing compared to the perfect Olympic pool that was waiting for him. Since his arrival at Tokyo, almost a week ago, Haru hadn’t been able to have a good swim. And now, the minutes that separated him from his beloved water seemed to stretch endlessly, almost mockingly.

     After getting changed, Haru waited with the rest of his class for the teacher to arrive. He was in the middle of finding convincing arguments that justified jumping into the water right then, when a soft voice brought him back to earth.

     “Okay, class, is everybody here?”

     It wasn’t possible. Haru’s head snapped up so fast that he heard his own neck crack. _It wasn’t possible_. _It wasn’t even probable._ But when Haru caught sight of familiar green eyes and light brown hair, possibility and probability stopped being existing factors.

_~•~_

_“Ah, Makoto-kun? I’m so sorry, Nanase-san. He doesn’t work here anymore.”_

_Haru looked up from where he was seating, and stared directly at the sweet lady that worked as a manager at Iwatobi’s Aquatic Centre. He tried to make sense of her words._ It wasn’t possible.

_“Really?” Haru’s mom sounded disappointed, and she looked shortly at his son, concern evident in her features, before looking back at the manager._

_“Yes. He’s living in Tokyo now, he left to study there. I don’t think he’s coming back any time soon.”_

_Barely noticing that he was moving at all, Haru stood up from his chair. Both women looked at him, and noticing the boy’s pale face and saddened blue eyes, hurried to find a way to console him._

_“Don’t worry, Haruka-kun!” the manager said from behind her desk. “I’m sure that you can make friends easily here! Right, Nanase-san?”_

_“Y-yes, that’s right, Haru-chan!” Haru’s mom tried, approaching her son and taking his hands._

_But before any of them was able to speak another word, Haru was already running out the door, out of the building, and into the street. He kept running even when he heard his mother calling after him, trying to ignore the sting in his eyes and the pressure in his chest. Words that he never thought he would hear echoed in his head, carrying a reality that was too hard to accept: Makoto wasn’t coming back. He would never hear his laughter and his terrible puns again. He would never swim with him again._

_He would never see those warm green eyes again._

_Haru ran until he met the ocean. He looked at the small waves that lazily hit the shore, felt the insistent rays of the early summer sun on his face, and only then, he felt the humid traces of sadness running down his cheeks. Once she reached him, Haru let his mom hug him and whisper soothing words to his ear while she caressed his black locks. He let himself cry into her chest, letting out silent tears that left a small stain in his mother’s white shirt._

_He should’ve known. Makoto wasn’t going to be there forever. He had a life outside his job, he probably had other friends, maybe even a girlfriend. Unlike Haru, he probably had more important things to do than swimming Sunday mornings away and laughing at terrible jokes. But somehow, Haru had assumed that Makoto, his only friend, was going to be with him forever. He expected an infinity of summers with him._

_But now Makoto was gone, and Haru was crying into his mother’s shirt, wishing for nothing more than the sight of familiar green eyes._

_~•~_

     “Nanase Haruka?”

     The sound of his own name snapped Haru out of his thoughts, and he looked up, confused, before he realized that the teacher was looking at him. He was looking at him with familiar green eyes and an unmistakable gentle smile. _“It’s him”_ Haru thought _“It’s really him”_. He certainly looked older, more mature. Eight years had passed since the last time Haru saw him, after all. But his eyes and his smile remained the same, and that’s all that mattered.

     “Are you Nanase Haruka-kun?” the teacher asked again, and only then Haru noticed that his whole class was looking at him.

     _“I need to tell him. I have to call his name. I need to tell Makoto that it’s me, Haru, the boy from Iwatobi. It’s me, Makoto. It’s me!”_

     But Haru settled for a small _“Yes”_ before the teacher nodded, and continued to call out the names of his classmates, confirming everyone’s presence.

     _“He didn’t recognize me…”_ Haru’s world suddenly felt heavy with a familiar sense of loss. For a small moment, he had harbored the hope that maybe, just maybe, Makoto would remember him, and that maybe, _just maybe_ , he could hear his laughter again, feel his green gaze against his own blue eyes one more time. But Makoto didn’t recognize him. And that was enough to dissolve every expectation that Haru had had for that day to be a good one. Suddenly, the idea of jumping into the pool wasn’t so exciting anymore.

_~•~_

     _What were the odds?_

     Haru flopped into his bed, his hair still damp from his swimming lessons. His head ached and his chest felt heavy in the worst possible way.

     _Seriously, what were the odds?_

     Of all the teachers that could’ve possibly end up coaching Haru’s class, of all the thousands of people that lived in Tokyo, what were the odds of having Makoto as his teacher? Haru would’ve considered himself lucky, if only Makoto had recognized him. But he didn’t. So, instead of feeling lucky, Haru felt like the most miserable being in the face of earth.

     He soon fell asleep, ignoring his stomach’s loud rumbles, occasioned by the lack a proper dinner. Just before the last of his consciousness slipped away and he fell into slumber, Haru found himself thinking about the wonderful summers spent in Iwatobi’s Aquatic Centre. Wonderful summers that wouldn’t come back.

_~•~_

_What were the odds?_

Makoto left his keys on top of the table, and walked into his apartment’s small but cozy living room. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, closing his eyes.

     _Seriously, what were the odds?_

 _“Calm down, Makoto,”_ he thought to himself, and sat on the couch.  _“It might not even be him!._

     Makoto had never forgotten the silent little boy that used to be at Iwatobi’s Aquatic Centre every Sunday for three summers straight. He remembered his raven hair, his silent smile, and his blue eyes, deep and endless against his ever-blank features. He hadn’t forgotten about Haru.

     When he read the name in the list of students, he didn’t think much of it. It was probably a coincidence. After all, what were the odds of that little kid that he hadn’t seen in eight years ending up in his class? When nobody answered at the name of Nanase Haruka, Makoto followed the students’ eyes to a slender boy with familiar dark bangs and a completely distraught expression. _It couldn’t be._

     He didn’t know what to do when the boy offered him a tiny _“Yes”_ , so he just smiled, nodded, and passed on to the next name on the list. It couldn’t be Haru. It just wasn’t possible.

 _But, what if it_ was _Haru?_

“His eyes!” Makoto caught himself saying out loud. “I just have to look at his eyes!”

     He would’ve recognized Haru’s eyes anywhere. During the last eight years, Makoto had never seen eyes like Haru’s, so sincere, so deep, so bright, _so infinite_ … But the boy’s eyes had been partially covered by his bangs that day, and he had worn his goggles during the rest of the class, rendering Makoto unable to have a good look at them. And he had to know, he _had_ to know if, after all these years, his long-awaited reunion with Haru had arrived.

     “ _Tomorrow,_ ” Makoto thought. _“Tomorrow, I will find out if it’s really him.”_

~•~

     Haru was the last one of his classmates to leave the changing rooms. His footsteps felt heavy, and his heart seemed desperate to leave his ribcage, judging by the way it was beating.

 _Calm down”_ the boy thought, taking a deep breath before stepping out into the adjacent room.  _“It’s just Makoto.”_

     But it wasn’t “just Makoto”. What had his heart beating so hard that it threatened to leave his chest, was the fact that he would have to spend the rest of his semester with Makoto as his coach. And that would’ve been nice, if only Makoto remembered who he was. Spending three hours, for three days a week pretending that having been forgotten by his first real friend didn’t hurt like hell, wasn’t something that particularly thrilled him. Especially when the source of his “emotional discomfort” (because Haru refused to even _think_ about the word “sadness” to describe his predicament) was his own teacher.

     Haru sighed, and looked at the water, always ready to welcome him and make him forget about everything that wasn’t related to its wonderful crystalline depths.

     _“Do it for the pool, Haruka.”_   He sighed again, rubbing his face with his hands.  _“Do it for the pool.”_

_~•~_

     Despite Makoto’s efforts, looking at PossiblyHaru’s eyes proved to be a nearly impossible task. The boy seemed resolved to hide his face from him, from the very moment Makoto stepped into the room on the second day of class. He was always the last one to arrive, and the first one to leave, allowing no chance for Makoto to approach him privately. It had almost been two weeks, and he hadn’t been able to get a good look at the boy’s face.

     But that didn’t stop Makoto from looking at other things. He couldn’t deny that the boy was… aesthetically pleasing.

 _"Dammit, Makoto, he’s your student, for Christ’s sake!”_ he found himself thinking more and more often, every time he discovered his eyes lingering on the curve of the boy’s back, or the roundness of his shoulders, or the firmness of his abdomen. Thinking that he was possibly the same little kid that used to swim with him every Sunday during those three unforgettable summers made him feel even more guilty about staring at his student, but it was undeniable that the kid was attractive, to say the least.

     And his form was _impeccable_. Despite the dark-haired boy’s refusal to swim anything but free style, it was impressive to watch as every inch of his body cooperated to achieve the most perfect swimming form that Makoto had ever seen. Every time he jumped into the water, the boy seemed to attract everyone’s gaze, as they stopped momentarily just to appreciate the perfectness of his figure making his way across the pool. It was simply impossible for Makoto not stare at him in complete awe.

     If anything, the raven haired boy’s obvious love for water only made Makoto more desperate to finally get a look at his eyes, and confirm his suspicions that his new student was, in fact, Haru. He remembered the twinkle in the kid’s eyes every time he was near or in the pool, and he would never forget the way he closed his eyes and floated away, completely relaxed, as if the water washed away every possible concern that his young mind could’ve had.

     _“Please be Haru,”_ Makoto found himself thinking every time he looked at the boy with the dark hair.  _“Please, please be Haru…”_

_~•~_

     “Nanase-kun!”

     Haru stopped dead in his tracks, and his mind immediately entered panic mode, because _Makoto was calling his name_. He didn’t turn around when he heard footsteps approaching him. He hadn’t been fast enough to leave the place, and now he had been caught. Haru analysed his escape routes, and weighed down his options. Would his teacher be mad at him if he just ran away?

     But before he could make a decision, Makoto had reached him, and was talking to him, his gentle voice reaching Haru’s ears slowly, sounding as if he was miles away from Haru, but far too close anyway.

     “I just wanted to congratulate you on your form. It’s flawless!” Makoto said, and Haru could feel the tip of his ears heating up. “But you should learn to swim something else, Nanase-kun. I’m sure you’d achieve a wonderful breaststroke!”

     “I only swim free,” Haru mumbled, looking at his toes, willing the earth to swallow him up right there, and never spit him back.

     “I know. I remember.”

     It was as if Haru’s wish had been heard by the earth, because he could feel his whole world shaking and crumbling beneath his feet. The seconds stretched almost endlessly while Makoto’s words echoed in his ears, so heavy that the dark-haired boy struggled to make sense of them.

_~•~_

     The boy turned around, and Makoto finally saw them. They were big as plates, full of surprise and maybe just a little bit of fear, but they were Haru’s eyes. Unmistakably blue, they stared back at Makoto, who could feel himself being swallowed by their familiar depth, marvelled by the stars within their familiar immensity. God, he had missed those eyes so much...

_~•~_

     Makoto’s green eyes felt like a slap to the face, so warm and kind, and green that Haru could’ve fallen to his knees and wept. But instead, he turned around, escaping from that familiar face that he had dreamed of so many times.

     He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready for this. After all those years of yearning at the thought of green eyes underneath brown bangs, Haru wasn’t ready for the familiar gaze that fell upon his face, tinted with recognition, and a slight trace of surprise. After eight years of dealing with the unfillable emptiness that Makoto had left behind, after almost two weeks of avoiding his teacher’s eyes and doing his best to be the last one to arrive, and the first one to leave, just to avoid being reminded of the fact that he had been forgotten, _he wasn’t ready._

 _“After all these years of wishing nothing more but for him to come back...”_ Haru gritted his teeth and began to walk away as fast as possible. _“I’m not ready…”_

     But once again, Makoto’s voice put a halt to his steps.

     “Hey, Haru!”

     He turned around, slowly, reveling in the sound of Makoto’s voice calling out his name, just like he had done so many years ago. His blue eyes found green orbs that greeted him with unmistakable gentleness.

     “You know what the eel said to the mackerel?” Makoto said, smiling, like he always did.

     Haru breathed in, never taking his eyes off Makoto’s, before offering a response, his voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief, fear, and a tang of excitement.

     “I’m feeling _eel-ectric_ …”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, there! :D Once again, any corrections are welcomed and highly encouraged! Hope you liked this chapter :3
> 
> Also, I'm on tumblr at allen-walkers if you wanna talk! :3


	3. Chapter 3

     _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

_“So, after eight years of not seeing Haru, or hearing a word from him, you just go and tell him one of your worst puns? Smooth, Makoto. Way to go. You’re a total champ!”_

     Sighing deeply, Makoto lied down on his couch and looked at the ceiling, mentally berating himself.

     “I don’t blame him for running away,” he mumbled gloomily, turning around so he was lying sideways on the couch. He saw his phone on top of the coffee table and reached out to grab it. Makoto hesitated for a few seconds before clicking on a name in his contacts list, and pressing the phone to his ear. It rang just one time, and then a familiar voice greeted him from the other side of the line.

     “Hi, hi, Mako-chan!”

     “Hey, Nagisa,” despite the fact that he would never admit it to the blond (in fear of the consequences of inflating his already gigantic ego) Makoto really enjoyed talking to Nagisa. His friend’s chirpy voice had the capacity to soothe his overthinking mind when he needed it the most. And he needed it right then. “Were you busy?”

     “Nah, Rei-chan and I had just finished fu-” Makoto heard a tiny yelp from Nagisa, and the image of a blue-haired figure elbowing him on the ribs popped in his head, eliciting a small chuckle from him. Nagisa’s voice changed into the low, intellectual- _ish_ tone he used to mock his boyfriend, and he corrected himself. “Rei-san and I had just finished having sexual intercourse.”

     Doing his best not to snort at Rei’s panicked _“NAGISA!”_ easily reaching his end of the line, Makoto got up and headed to the kitchen. He held the phone in place with his shoulder while he opened his nearly empty fridge “I didn’t need to know that, Nagisa. I really didn’t.”

     “Everybody does it, Mako-chan!” Nagisa’s voice rang over Rei’s miserable groans. “Anyway, did you need anything? Or you called just to hear my lovely voice?”

     “Um…” Makoto hesitated a little, before sighing because _what the hell_ _was he so nervous about?_ “Do you guys want to come over for dinner? If you want to, I mean! I was thinking of making some pasta, but we can eat something else if you want to! I have nothing to drink but water, but I can go to the convenience store, and maybe I can get some cake too! And I was thinking-”

     “Mako-chan!” Nagisa interrupted his rambling, and Makoto felt his face heating up. “Yes, we’d love to come over, pasta sounds great, and don’t worry, we’ll get the drinks!”

     “Great!” Makoto grinned widely. “Thanks, Nagisa."

     It had been a while since he had seen his high school friends, so he’d been missing them an awful lot. And maybe Nagisa’s insistent chatter would help him forget about his little incident with Haru for a little while.

     “And Mako-chan,” Nagisa’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and saved him from another round of self-loathing. “Stop getting nervous every time you ask us to do something with you. I know your social skills aren’t the best in the world, but we’ve been friends for _ages!_ ”

     “I know… It’s just that sometimes I think I might be a nuisance to you and-”

     Nagisa let out an annoyed _“Mako-chan!”_ and huffed. Before Makoto could say anything else, the blond yelled out: “Rei-chan, come over here and tell Mako-chan that we love him!”

     The rustling sounds of Nagisa passing out his phone to his boyfriend filled the line before Rei’s voice could be heard.

     “We love you, Makoto-senpai!” Makoto smiled, amused by Rei’s insistence on calling him “senpai” even after they had graduated so many years ago.

     “I love you too, guys.”

     “You better!” Nagisa’s previous annoyance had disappeared from his voice, replaced with what Makoto recognized as affection. “We’ll be there in a couple hours. See you, Mako-chan!”

     “Bye, Nagisa.”

     As soon as the call was ended, Makoto felt the void left by Nagisa’s voice being slowly filled by his previous Haru-induced misery. He shook his head and rubbed his temples, willing the memories of that afternoon’s failed attempt to approach the boy to leave his mind once and for all. When they didn’t (fairly predictably so), Makoto opted to grab his keys from the table and head to the store to get the things he needed to make dinner.

_~•~_

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

     Haru just couldn’t believe himself. He couldn’t believe that he had ran away from Makoto, right after he actually _answered_ to one of the _worst_ puns ever known to mankind. _“What’s wrong with m_ e?” he thought, sinking a little bit further into his bathtub. Haru replayed the incident in his mind: how Makoto had admitted that he did remember him, how Haru had tried to escape, only to be stopped by one of Makoto’s classic jokes, and how he had hesitantly answered before running away into the changing rooms to pick up his clothes and his bag, and flee the building.

     He hadn’t even changed into his clothes until he was at what he considered to be a safe distance. Which means that he had finally put some clothes over his wet swimsuit at a public park near the train station, ignoring the scandalized looks from a couple of old ladies, and being shamelessly scrutinized by a group of high school girls that looked like they were about to meet their death by an excess of drooling.

     “I’m such an idiot…” he mumbled, sitting up and holding his knees to his chest.

     Haru didn’t even know why he had ran away. He didn’t know why, after so much time fantasizing about a magical reunion with Makoto, after so many sleepless nights wondering what his friend was doing, how was his new life in Tokyo, and if he would ever see him again, he hadn’t been able to do anything else but answering to a _god dammed pun about eels._ Maybe it had been too much for him, suddenly being ran over by thousands of bittersweet memories at the sight of Makoto’s familiar smile, crushed by the weight of green eyes that finally recognized him.

     As he mulled over those thoughts, Haru blew small bubbles into the surface of the water. Granted, he felt really, _really_ dumb for running away after such a strange interaction with Makoto. But there was something in the back of his mind that made him feel a little better: Makoto remembered him. Even if he hadn’t approached him over the first two weeks of classes, he remembered him. And maybe that meant that Haru had been important to Makoto, despite the dark haired boy’s bitter conclusion that he had completely forgotten about the wonderful summers they had spent together in Iwatobi. A small smile tugged at the corners of Haru’s lips. _“He remembers me…_ ”

     Haru stood up and stepped out of the tub, his hair and skin dripping with small drops of water. Even for him, two hours in the tub was too much. But that night, he had needed some counseling from his beloved water, and a bath that was long enough to help him ignore his homework for a little while.

~•~

     Makoto couldn’t stop the little smile that appeared in his face when he left the grocery store. He was seeing Nagisa and Rei that night, after months of nothing but short-lived phone calls, and that was enough to make small sparkles of excitement dance around in his belly. He checked the bag he was carrying, excitedly taking a look at the small strawberry cake he had bought especially for Nagisa, knowing it was his favorite.

     He was in the middle of contemplating the possibilities of convincing Rei to help him cook, and avoid a potential kitchen disaster, when he heard a small gasp and looked up. He barely had the chance to catch a glimpse of blue eyes and black hair, before the other person was quickly turning around to walk away.

     “Haru!” Makoto called out, and the boy froze in his place, just like he had done that afternoon. Slowly, Haru turned around to face him. Makoto felt like time was mocking him, stretching out and making him wait so long to let him see Haru’s face, even after he had already waited for eight uncertain years.

     But when the boy finally turned around, Makoto just couldn’t stop himself from thinking that he could wait forever, if only he could keep staring into those incredible blue orbs. Even under the dim street lights, Haru’s eyes were simply breathtaking.

_~•~_

     He just wanted to go to the grocery store. That was it. Haru didn’t even consider the possibility of running into Makoto. So when he caught sight of him walking down the street towards him, he wasn’t sure if he should’ve considered himself very lucky, or totally damned by his fate. Haru stopped dead in his tracks, and cursed himself a million times when he let a small gasp escape him, and unwillingly gained Makoto’s attention. He turned around to escape, hoping for everything he was worth that Makoto hadn’t recognized him, giving him the chance to avoid trying to find a justifiable reason for running away when Makoto inevitably confronted him about it. But, of course, he wasn’t so lucky.

     At the sound of Makoto calling his name, Haru abandoned every intent of running away for the second time in one day, and turned around, ready to find an offended expression on Makoto’s face. Instead, he found reddened cheeks and a startled green gaze that looked a lot like the one Haru was sure he was sporting too. Time seemed to freeze for a single moment, during which they just silently stared at each other, until Makoto shook his head as if he was breaking free from a trance.

     “W-what are you d-doing here?” he stammered, and Haru was slightly comforted by the fact that the green-eyed man looked just as nervous as he felt himself.

     “I-I leave nearby. I was going to the grocery store,” Haru muttered, finding out that forming words at that precise moment wasn’t a particularly easy task.

     “Me too!” Makoto tried to smile, but only achieved a painful-looking grimace. Another round of severely awkward silence enveloped them, and once again, Makoto tore it down.

     “Haru, I’m sorry about earlier!” he said. Haru felt his eyes widening and his lips parting slightly at the evident urgency in Makoto’s voice. Before he could say anything, Makoto took a step towards him. His green eyes were so full of sincerity that every word Haru was trying to get out got caught in his throat and refused to leave. Just like the first time they had met.

     Unknowing of Haru’s verbal predicament, Makoto stepped even closer to him. _Too close,_ so close that Haru had trouble breathing. But at the same time, he wasn’t close enough, and Haru found himself thinking that he wanted to be closer to Makoto. Close enough to feel the familiar smell of chlorine and soft cologne. Close enough to be embraced by his warmth. Close enough to look into his eyes, and find what he had yearned for during those long eight years: the familiar gentleness that had captured him from the first moment he felt it.

     “I don’t know why I thought a dumb pun would be an acceptable thing to say after eight years,” Makoto was talking again, and his words barely reached Haru, sounding as if they were being uttered from very far away, despite the overwhelming closeness that threatened to drown Haru’s last remains consciousness.

     And maybe he was hazed by the color of Makoto’s eyes and the sound of his voice, or maybe it was the nostalgic smell that had finally reached him, and awakened every memory of empty Olympic pools and long-awaited Sunday reunions, but before he could even think about it, the words were already leaving Haru’s mouth.

     “I like your puns… ”

     Before Haru could react, Makoto was hugging him, squeezing him tightly into his chest, almost like he was afraid of losing him again. Before he could even begin to analyze the situation, Haru was hugging him back, burying his face into Makoto’s strong shoulder and biting back a sob that threatened to leave his lips, because _damn, he had missed Makoto so, so much…_

     “I missed you so much Haru. I’m so glad to see you again,” Makoto whispered into his hair. He placed a hand behind his head, carefully, as if Haru was something that could’ve been easily broken.

     “Me too, Makoto,” Haru whispered back. And in that moment, he was completely sure that he had never uttered more truthful words.

_~•~_

     “Why didn’t you tell me?” Haru asked, and Makoto looked at him with inquisitive eyes, silently asking him to elaborate. “That you were leaving.”

     Makoto sighed and rubbed the back of his head, looking everywhere but at the boy seated next to him. They were sitting on a small bench in a nearby park, Makoto’s grocery bags forgotten next to him. Haru searched his face, trying to get Makoto to look at him again.

     “I didn’t know how to,” he finally answered. Haru frowned at him, and Makoto felt a rush of nostalgia when he remembered that exact same expression on the boy’s face when he had first met him at Iwatobi’s Aquatic Centre “I know, I’m an idiot. I should’ve told you.”

     “Yes, you should’ve.” Haru’s frown had disappeared, but his voice sounded so hurt that Makoto wanted to jump from a thousand story building. “I went looking for you, and you were gone… They told me that you wouldn’t come back.”

     Makoto pictured the little boy arriving at the Aquatic Centre, excited to spend another summer with him, only to find out that he had left, and that he would probably never see him again. He imagined his face falling, his skin turning pale, and his eyes widening with a mixture of surprise, disappointment and _sadness_. _God, he had been such an imbecile…_

     “I’m so sorry, Haru,” he said, looking into his blue eyes, hoping that he would find forgiveness in them, even if it was just a small trace. But he could find anything, the dark-haired boy looked down at his feet.

     “You said that already.” Haru’s voice was completely blank, just like his face, making it really hard for Makoto to guess what the boy was thinking. Just before he could begin to feel awful again, blue eyes found his face, this time softened, almost warm. “I forgive you.”

     Makoto felt his lips stretching in a wide green, and a soothing wave of warmth washed over his body. He reached out to grab Haru’s hand, earning a surprised look from him.

     “Thanks, Haru!” Despite’s the boy’s efforts to hide it, Makoto noticed the slight blush that spread across his cheeks. _“That hasn’t changed one bit”_ , he thought, biting back another smile.

     “You have changed,” Haru’s voice brought him back to the present, and Makoto blinked, surprised by the boy’s words.

     “Really?”

     “Yeah. You look… ” _Like an adult? More mature? Bigger? Taller? More handsome, maybe?_ “…old.”

     Makoto’s smile was frozen in place as he did his best to pretend that Haru’s words hadn’t hurt like getting kicked in the shins.

     “Oh…”

     “But you’re still Makoto. And that’s good.”

     Makoto’s smile softened, and gave way to another, most honest one. _Ok, maybe that_ did _make him feel a little bit better_.

     “You’ve changed too, Haru,” he offered, and the boy looked at him with questioning eyes. “You look so…”  _Hot_.

     And right then, Makoto had to stop to mentally slap himself, because _“Wow, Makoto, what the fuck is wrong with you?”_. He shook his head, earning a confused look from Haru. Ignoring the fact that he felt his entire face heating up, Makoto tried again, this time being extremely careful about his own thoughts.

     “You look like an adult.” And he did. The little boy Makoto knew was gone, and had been replaced by the tall, slender young man that he was looking at right then, body well-defined by years of training and swimming. His face had become sharper and longer, his features more defined, but no less beautiful than before. If anything, Haru’s prominent cheekbones and long, narrow nose had granted him a delicate beauty, enhanced by his dark locks of hair, which had grown slightly longer from the last time Makoto had seen him. His eyelashes were longer, thicker, framing his gaze in the most wonderful way.

    The only thing that was unchanged, much to Makoto’s delight, were his eyes. They were still deep and sincere, and not a single one of the infinity of stars that Makoto loved so much had disappeared from the endless blue of Haru’s perfect eyes. He looked into them once again, reveling in the fact that Haru just stared back at him, without looking away this time.

     After a few moments, a loud ringing sound from Makoto’s phone snapped him out of his blue-induced trance. He took his phone out of his pocket, and his heart nearly stopped when he read the text, shining accusingly on the screen.

     _“Mako-chan, were r u? we’ve been standing outside ur door for like 15 minutes >:(”_

_~•~_

“Dammit!” Makoto rose from his seat so fast that he startled Haru. His keys fell to the ground with a tinkling sound, unnoticed by their owner.

     “What?”

     “I invited my friends over for dinner tonight, and I completely forgot!” Makoto said, quickly tapping a response on his phone screen.

     “I’m sorry, it was my fault,” Haru said, standing up too. _He had distracted Makoto, and now he was in trouble with his friends…_

“What!?” Makoto put his phone back in his pocket, and turned to Haru. “No, it’s not your fault, Haru, I’m the one who forgot!”

     Then, Makoto ruffled his dark hair, just like he had done so many times when he was a kid. For what felt like the hundredth time that night, Haru found himself unable to speak a word, entranced by the feeling of Makoto’s fingers brushing across the strands of his black hair.

     “So, I’ll be going now. It was nice seeing you, Haru!” Makoto grabbed his bags and turned around to leave, barely leaving any time for Haru to process his words.

     “Wait, Makoto!” he called out, reaching down to grab the forgotten keys “You dropped your-!”

     Haru looked at the keys in his hand, and froze when he saw a familiar keychain joining them together. The rubber dolphin smiled at him from the palm of his hand, as if it was happy to see him after all those years. Makoto had already walked back to Haru, and was reaching to grab his keys, when he noticed that the boy was staring disbelievingly at the keychain.

     “You still have it…” Haru mumbled, looking up at Makoto, who smiled softly at him.

     “I told you I’d take care of it, didn’t I?” Makoto said, gently grabbing his keys from Haru’s extended hands, and looking lovingly at the small blue dolphin before putting them in his pocket. There was a beat of absolute quietness, and the rest of the world disappeared from Haru’s mind, completely unimportant in comparison to the man standing in front of him.

     “I still have the book!” Haru chocked out, earning a surprised look from Makoto. “The one you gave me.”

     Some nights, even after so many years had passed, Haru took out the book just to stare at the gorgeous pictures of colorful fish and undulating seaweed, lingering just a little bit on the full-page photograph of the dolphin. When he was younger, and Makoto’s absence was just too heavy in his mind, making his heart ache with solitude, Haru used to fall asleep holding the book, because somehow, it made him feel connected to Makoto. It had been the first thing he had packed when he was moving to Tokyo, and the first thing he took out of its box too, placing it carefully in the drawer of his nightstand before moving on to the rest of his belongings.

     But Haru didn’t tell Makoto any of those things. Instead, he looked down at his feet, hiding his reddened cheeks, until the older man spoke up a few moments later.

     “I’m glad!” he said, and Haru’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of Makoto’s bright grin. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Makoto remembered that he had to leave, once again getting flustered and nervous and mumbling things about getting killed by someone called “Nagisa”. He turned around and started running down the street, and when he was a few meters away, he turned his head and yelled out a cheerful _“See you on Tuesday, Haru!”_

     As he watched Makoto run away down the street, Haru realized that he was already dreading the idea of having to wait until Tuesday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I want to thank you guys for your comments, kudos, and bookmarks. It makes me so, so happy that you enjoy my work, you have no idea! :D
> 
> I'm on tumblr at allen-walkers if you want to talk or fangirl together about MakoHaru :3


	4. Chapter 4

     “Aw, Mako-chan, that’s so cute!” Nagisa squealed. He took a gigantic piece of strawberry cake with his fork, and promptly shoved it into his mouth. The blond grinned around the cake and leaned towards Makoto, pink eyes full of excitement. “It’s like a movie!”

     “Not really…” Makoto held up his hands, leaning away from his friend. He had told Nagisa and Rei about his recent encounter with Haru, constantly fighting back a giant grin as he talked about the boy, about his face when he recognized the dolphin keychain, or the way he had told him about the book. He didn’t tell them about the hug. It had been a precious moment between him and Haru, and he wanted to keep it to himself.

     “Of course it is!” Nagisa huffed, sounding as if he was really offended by Makoto’s disagreement, and sat back on his chair.

     “So, Haru-chan-san ended up being your student,” Rei said, earning a nod from Makoto. “What a coincidence, Makoto-senpai!”

     Makoto was about to answer, when Nagisa invaded his personal space again, pointing at him with his fork.

     “So!” he exclaimed, his ever-present grin looking slightly wolfish. “Did Haru-chan become hotter now that he’s all grown up?”

     Makoto spluttered, and felt his face heating up as he blushed to the tips of his ears. He was struggling to get out an answer, when a deeply offended _“Nagisa!”_ from Rei saved him from a ferocious battle against his own tongue, which had been rendered useless by the blond’s question.

     “It’s very inappropriate to ask such things to a teacher!” Rei said, adjusting his glasses against his nose and giving his boyfriend a stern look.

     “What’s wrong with it?” Nagisa asked, with an obviously faked innocence shining in his eyes.

     “It’d be very unprofessional from Makoto-senpai to think such things about his students!” Rei’s severe words only served to make Makoto blush an even deeper shade of crimson. He suddenly remembered all the times during classes when he had eyed Haru’s taut muscles and beautiful features, his gaze lingering on expanses of white skin for a few moments before he forced himself to look away. “You’re putting him in a very uncomfortable situation! How would you feel if I thought those shameful things about my students?”

     “You’re a high school teacher, Rei-chan!” Nagisa said, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend’s insulted expression. “Mako-chan is a college teacher. His students are legal adults, he could sleep with them if he wanted to!”

     “L-legal or not, I’m not sleeping with any of my students!” Makoto sentenced, after finally regaining his ability to form coherent words. “And Rei’s right. It’d be wrong of me to think of my students that way.”

     “Aw, come on!” Nagisa pointed at him with his fork again, cheeky smile returning to his lips “I remember how you talked about him when we were in high school!” Makoto stammered once again, mentally cursing his friend’s capacity to make him blush like a silly schoolgirl. “ _He doesn’t talk much, but his voice is sooooo sweet! And the face he makes when he sees water… Nagisa, I swear to God, it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”_

     Terribly embarrassed by Nagisa’s spot-on impression of him, Makoto looked at Rei, silently pleading for help. But every hope he had harbored of getting his friend to rescue him from the blond’s torment died when he noticed Rei’s shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Nagisa kept going, merciless as always, talking in a higher pitch than usual, and doing all sorts of hand gestures in a very Makoto-like manner: _“And he swims so beautifully, it’s unbelievable, Nagisa! And his eyes… Oh, his eyes!”_

“Ok, I get it!” Makoto interrupted Nagisa, deciding that he had exceeded his daily quota of teasing. Nagisa sat back on his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, smiling victoriously. “But the fact that I thought he was cute doesn’t mean I _liked_ him. He was a _child_ , for goodness sake!”

     “If Haru-chan had been your age when you first met him, you two would be married by now!”

     Silence fell upon the three of them after Nagisa’s statement. Rei was trying his best to hide his laughter, and Makoto was struggling to avoid picturing his married life with Haru, when Nagisa’s teasing voice reached his ears again.

     “And I know you think he’s hot, Mako-chan.”

     “I do not!”

     Despite the offended tone of his words, Makoto knew that, once again, his friend was right.

     “ _I’m never inviting Nagisa over again,”_ he thought, trying to ignore the blond’s strident laughter. _“Ever”._

_~•~_

He had everything under control.

    Haru watched as his classmates poured into the changing rooms, tapping his foot impatiently against the wet tiles that surrounded the pool. He tore his eyes from the loud group of boys that were leaving the water, and eyed Makoto as discretely as he could.

     _I have everything under control._

     He watched as Makoto conversed with a couple of his students, the gentle sound of his laughter easily reaching Haru’s ears. The dark-haired boy glared at the other two, wishing a bout of explosive diarrhoea on them for hoarding Makoto’s attention. He had been waiting all day long, ignoring the inconvenient flutter of his chest, and the knots that twisted around in his stomach every time he looked at his teacher.

     _You have everything under control, Haruka._

     “Ha-Nanase-kun!” Haru turned around to meet Makoto’s green gaze, unsurprised to find a smile on his lips. He had been so distracted with trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, that he hadn’t realized he had been left alone with Makoto. _Finally_. When Haru didn’t answer, Makoto’s expression was immediately tinted with worry. “Is something wrong?”

     “Yes. Um, I mean, no!” Haru sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. _You have everything under control…_ “I was just wondering if you’d like to…”

     And there it was. That lump in his throat had already become familiar, making itself present every single time he needed to say something remotely important to Makoto. Haru stared blankly at the man in front of him, wondering if it was possible to die from sheer embarrassment.

     “Are you sure you’re okay?” Makoto asked, a concerned frown appearing on his face. He took a step towards Haru, and the boy swallowed deeply, balling his fists before taking a deep breath. “I have everything under control” he mentally encouraged himself, ignoring Makoto’s evident confusion and worry, and looking into the green depths of his eyes.

     “Iwaswonderingifyouwouldliketohaveacoffewithme”.

_Goddammit, Haruka!_

     “What?” Makoto didn’t seem capable of looking more puzzled, and although his face was kinda cute right then, Haru wanted nothing more than to become invisible on the spot. Once again, the boy took a deep breath, never taking his eyes off Makoto’s.

     “I was wondering if you would like to have a coffee with me,” he repeated, more calmly this time, and focusing on pronouncing each word at a time.

     Makoto blinked a couple times at him, and the quietness that engulfed the two of them was awkward enough to send Haru into a spiral of despair. When the green-eyed man finally spoke up, the boy’s chest felt so heavy that he could’ve sworn his heart had been replaced with a brick.

     “Nanase-kun,” he said, and Haru’s last name had never sounded so _cold_. He wasn’t _Nanase-kun_. To Makoto, he had always been _Haru_. But not right then. Right then, he was Nanase-kun, the boy who wanted to jump of a twenty story building, only to avoid the inescapable rejection that he could already feel in Makoto’s voice “You’re my student, remember? It’s not that I wouldn’t like to have a coffee with you. I’d love to but…” the man sighed, and offered him a distant smile that looked oddly out of place amongst the rest of his kind features. “It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

     “Right. I’m sorry, Ma-” Haru cut himself off, and teared his eyes off Makoto’s, before forcing himself to utter two words that felt like sandpaper in his mouth “Tachibana-sensei.”

     A small round of silence fell upon them again. It felt positively eternal, and so heavy that it threatened to crush them both with the weight of unsaid words and forceful rejection.

     “I’m gonna go change,” Haru mumbled at last, and waited for Makoto to give him a small nod before turning around to leave.

     “See you tomorrow!” the teacher yelled out when the boy was about to enter the changing rooms, but Haru couldn’t bring himself to answer.

     His classmates were still there, loud and cheery as ever. However, as soon as Haru stepped into the locker room, their chatter died out, and the sound of their whispers reached the dark-haired boy as he got to his locker. It’s not like he cared, anyway. In that moment, he didn’t care about anything but the fact that he had been painfully rejected, after hours of gathering the courage to approach Makoto. He had spent the night before convincing himself that asking Makoto to have a coffee with him was was not the same as asking him out. It was just a way to catch up with his old friend after so many years apart. When he went to sleep, Haru had managed to convince himself that he had everything under control.

     But in the end, he definitely _didn’t_ have everything under control.

     Haru hadn’t considered the fact that Makoto was his teacher now. He had only thought of him as his childhood friend, the gentle lifeguard that spent the Sundays with him in an empty Olympic pool. Now, unintentionally cruel words echoed around inside his head: " _You’re my student, remember?"_

     “Hey, Nanase!” Once again, the sound of his name took him by surprise, and he turned around to look inquisitively at his classmates. The one that had called his name, a tall boy with short hair and lots of freckles, offered him a smile that Haru didn’t return. “We were going to that pizza shop a few blocks away. You wanna come?”

_~•~_

    Makoto sighed, and poured himself a cup of coffee. Lately, it seemed like everything he did was sighing. Especially when he thought about Haru.

     “You were too rough, Makoto…” he mumbled to himself, after sitting down in one of the five identical gray couches lined up against the walls of the room, and setting his steaming mug on the small coffee table “It was just a coffee…”

     Right after Haru had finished talking, Rei’s words rang across his head, piercingly severe: _“It’d be very unprofessional from Makoto-senpai to think such things about his students!”_

     “But it was just a coffee!” he groaned, running his hands down his face. Haru’s disappointed face from moments ago suddenly popped up in his head, forcing another sigh from his lips. _He_ had _been too rough…_

Suddenly, the door was opened, interrupting Makoto in the middle of his regretful thoughts. A light-haired, purple-eyed figure entered the room, and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Makoto.

     “Now, this is unusual! I never see you in the teacher’s lounge!”

     “Hey, Kisumi,” Makoto smiled, trying not to look as tired as he felt.

     “How’s the water treating you, Tachibana-sensei?” Kisumi asked, sitting next to Makoto after leaving a stack of papers and textbooks on top of a nearby table.

     “Don’t call me that.” Makoto grimaced when he remembered the look on Haru’s face when he called him _“Tachibana-sensei.”_

    “Rough day?”

     “Well… You could say that.”

     “Don’t worry!” Kisumi exclaimed, smiling. He pointed at Makoto’s mug, resting on the coffee table. “Coffee fixes everything!”

     Makoto laughed, taking the mug in his hands, focusing on its warmth as it spread across his skin. Kisumi got up to get some coffee for himself, continuing the conversation with ease.

     “But ‘Tachibana-sensei’ sounds nice. You know what my students call me?” He turned his head to look at Makoto with a worn-out expression on his face. “’KissMe-sensei’. It’s awful”.

     Makoto laughed heartily, before taking a sip of his coffee.

     “You must be very popular with the ladies, KissMe-sensei!”

     Kisumi groaned, sitting back down at the couch.

     “I got three love letters just today,” he pointed with his head at the unopened pink envelopes on top of the stacks of papers he had left on the table, and his light-colored curls danced a little. “Some of them are cute. Too bad I’m their teacher!”

     “Yeah,” Makoto muttered, looking at his reflection in the black liquid that filled his mug.

     “Don’t tell me!” Kisumi grinned teasingly. “You also got yourself some young admirers, eh, Makoto?” Makoto didn’t reply, too lost in the memory of Haru’s sad eyes when he had rejected him earlier. Kisumi’s grin grew wider, and he jokingly elbowed Makoto on the ribs. “Of course you do! Handsome guy like you, you were bound to rob some innocent hearts!”

     “It’s not like that…”

     “Whatever you say, _Tachibana-sensei!_ ” Kisumi got up, mug in hand, and laboriously picked up his stuff from the table before heading for the door. “See you later, I gotta get back to class!”

     “Bye, Kisumi,” Makoto said distractedly, and waited until Kisumi shut the door before collapsing into the couch, covering his eyes with his left arm. " _It’s not like that…"_

_~•~_

     Haru wasn’t really sure why he had agreed to come. But there he was, sitting in a tiny restaurant, surrounded by people whose names he barely remembered, and staring at his slice of pepperoni pizza as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. His classmates had brought a couple girls from the female swimming club that Haru had never seen before, and had no interest in, unlike the rest of the boys, who seemed desperate to get even the smallest bit of attention from them.

     “Hey, Nanase!” Haru looked up, slowly chewing his pizza. The freckled boy who had called his name in the locker rooms earlier _(Yabuki, was it?)_ was staring at him, wearing a small smile on his lips. “What’s going on between you and Tachibana-sensei?”

     With the grace of a tap-dancing walrus, Haru proceeded to choke on his pizza.

     “What do you mean?” he managed to say after a round of coughing and spluttering, glaring deeply at the boy.

     “He totally checks you out, Nanase!” another one of the boys said, earning nods of approval and a chorus of “yeahs” from his friends. “All the time! It’s like he can’t keep his eyes off of you!”

     Haru frowned and looked down, trying to hide his profound blush behind his bangs. _“Makoto checks me out?”_ he thought, ignoring his classmates’ annoying questions and remarks. That couldn’t be true. After all, Makoto hadn’t even wanted to have a coffee with him.

     “Man, I wish Tachibana-sensei was our coach!” one of the girls said, her squeaky voice snapping Haru out of his thoughts.

     “Me too! He’s so dreamy…” another one said, holding her face with her hands.

     “And our coach is such a bitch,” the last one of the girls remarked, rolling her eyes.

     “They should merge our classes together. It’d be nice to have some cute girls around instead of all these smelly dumbasses,” Yabuki said, earning loud complaints from the boys, and embarrassed whines from the girls.

     “I would agree to that if it meant getting to see Tachibana-sensei three days a week!” the first girl exclaimed, and the other two nodded energetically.

     “Hey, hey!” Yabuki said. He pointed at Haru, who once again looked up at him, both surprised and annoyed. “Sorry, girls, but Tachibana-sensei’s heart belongs to Nanase!”

     And in the midst of the sound people laughing and joking at his expense, Haru was getting up because _screw Yabuki, screw these guys, screw everyone,_ he was going home.

     “Wait, Nanase!” Yabuki called after him as he was running out the door. Haru ignored him. He didn’t care.

     He didn’t stop running until he reached the train station. Bent over and grabbing his knees, Haru struggled to even his breathing, agitated from his sudden sprint. The boy blinked against the tears that were threatening to make their way across his face, prickling at the corners of his eyes.

      _"Why am I crying?”_

     Makoto was especial. He had been his first real friend, one of the few people in the course of his eighteen years of living that had been able to break him out of his shell. Haru had cried himself to sleep countless nights, clutching the book Makoto had given him like his life depended on it. He had spent eight years missing Makoto, wishing upon every falling star and birthday wish, to finally see him again. Now, Makoto had entered his life again, messing up his every thought with his green eyes, and sending his heart into a frenzy every time he smiled at him.

     “ _Sorry, girls, but Tachibana-sensei’s heart belongs to Nanase!”_

     “ _Why did I get so angry_?” It had been a simple joke, thoughtlessly uttered by a dumb boy who didn’t really know what he was talking about. “ _It was a simple joke,”_ Haru thought, and yet there he was, trying to breathe normally again and fighting inevitable tears inside a crowded train station.

     “Haru?”

     He turned around, catching a blurry sight of green eyes, light brown hair, and broad shoulders.

     “Makoto…” he whispered, feeling small and vulnerable, like he was ten years old again, staring at the waves hitting the shore, and trying to make sense of the fact that Makoto was gone. And just like that time, he let the tears fall, unable to stop them from falling any longer.

     “Haru!” Makoto exclaimed, shortening the distance between them and reaching the boy in two long strides.

    “Makoto…” Haru whispered again. He let himself fall into Makoto’s extended arms, so strong, so welcoming, so _familiar_. The boy burrowed his face in the man’s white shirt, clutching onto the fabric with trembling hands. Haru felt his tears soaking Makoto’s clothes while small sobs shook his entire body, so small and delicate against Makoto’s broad chest. He whispered his name over and over again, breathing in his smell, that faint smell of chlorine mixed with soft cologne, and feeling his comforting warmth surrounding him, protecting him. “Makoto…”

     “I’m here, Haru,” a soft voice reached his ears. Makoto’s hand found its way to the boy’s head, caressing his dark locks while he held him tightly with his other arm. “I’m sorry.”

     Haru shook his head, biting his lip, because _Makoto had nothing to be sorry about_ , not right then, not when he was hugging him so close and whispering soothing words to him.

     “I missed you so much, Makoto.”

     “I missed you too, Haru. You have no idea how much.”

     And despite the tears, despite the tiny sobs that ripped their way out of Haru’s chest, despite those eight years apart, they were okay, holding onto each other inside that crowded train station.

     “So,” Makoto said after a few silent moments. He placed his hands over Haru’s shoulders, gently, and pushed him back a little bit to make the boy look at him. “How about a coffee?”

     Haru wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and nodded, a tiny smile appearing on his lips. Makoto’s own smile grew bigger, as he reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair.

     They were okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, there! I think this is going to a be a little bit longer than I expected, but I guess that's just an excuse to write more MakoHaru >:3 Also, the rating will go up in future chapters, just so you know!
> 
> Come talk to me at allen-walkers in Tumblr :3


	5. Chapter 5

     “And get this: he sank! All the way down to the bottom! And he-” Makoto burst out laughing, interrupting himself. Haru let out a chuckle, way more amused by Makoto’s laughter than by his anecdote, as funny as it actually was. The man had an incredible ease for turning everything he said into something enjoyable and worth listening to. When Makoto finally looked at him, after another uncontrollable fit of laughing, Haru found himself thinking that he could hear him talk all night long, about his high school friends (who sounded like a lot of trouble, especially that Nagisa guy), or his siblings, or cats, or his favorite food, or even about how incredible the migratory cycle of the monarch butterfly was.

     He didn’t care, as long as he could keep hearing Makoto’s voice.

     “I’m sorry, Haru, I haven’t stopped talking since we got here!” It was true. Makoto had been telling the boy dozens of anecdotes and jokes since they arrived at the small coffee shop, but Haru didn’t care. He liked to think that it was Makoto’s way to try and cheer him up.

     “I don’t mind. I like hearing you talk,” Haru mumbled, eyes fixed on his nearly-empty cup.

     They were silent for a moment, but, unlike the other heavy silences that had trapped them lately in an awkward loss for words, this silence was comfortable, devoid of unspoken thoughts or self-reproach; this time, they were okay with just being silent. Right then, sitting in a small coffee shop, they were satisfied with just enjoying each other’s presence.

     “Haru,” after a few moments, the smoothness of Makoto’s voice filled the silence, encouraging Haru to look up at him. Makoto sighed and looked at his hands, trying to find the best way to put his thoughts into words. “Look, I know I shouldn’t ask what made you so upset earlier, so I won’t.”

     Haru’s face immediately heated up when he remembered how he had been crying on Makoto’s chest not even an hour ago. _Dammit, so embarrassing…_

“But,” Makoto kept talking, not yet noticing the prominent redness that tinted Haru’s cheeks. “I want to help you!” He reached out and grabbed Haru’s hands, staring into his eyes as he moved his face a little bit closer to the boy’s, unknowingly causing Haru’s heart to jump up to his throat. “I know that I said I was your teacher and everything, but…” Makoto bit his lower lip and looked down at their hands before looking up again, determination burning in his eyes. “You’re also my friend, Haru!”

     “Makoto…” Haru blinked at him, surprised. A warm feeling spread across his chest, flooding his mind with thoughts of just how _beautiful_ the word “friend” sounded when Makoto said it. A sincere smile reached his lips, and Makoto mirrored his expression, eyes finally softening.

     “I know I shouldn’t do this, but…” Makoto let go of Haru’s hands, and extracted a pen from his pocket. He scribbled something across a napkin, and handed it to Haru. “Here. It’s my phone number, and my address. If you ever need anything, even if it’s just someone to talk to, I want to be there for you, Haru.”

     Haru knew that there were moments when the world suddenly stopped. He knew that an eternity could pass in the space between two heartbeats, breath frozen in your lungs and body immobilized by the perfection of one single instant. He had felt it before, he had felt the seconds stretching infinitely before his eyes, as his mind tried to get a grasp of its own existence, completely overwhelmed by feelings that were just too intense, and way too _real._ Haru knew. He just didn’t know that those moments could exist outside of the water.

     But, looking into Makoto’s eyes, as he teetered on the edge of a momentary infinity, the boy remembered that the ocean could be green, too.

_~•~_

     There was an ever growing pile of homework sitting on his desk, but Haru couldn’t really care less. Because, honestly, lying in bed and staring at the napkin Makoto had given him only a couple hours ago seemed like a much better way to spend his time. Maybe because Makoto’s handwriting was very pretty, or maybe because it reminded him of the way he had hugged him goodbye. It had been a short hug, but it had been warm and tight enough to annihilate every intent Haru had had to spend the night doing anything else than trying to remember the way Makoto’s voice had vibrated inside his chest when he had wished him a good night.

     Haru was in the middle of doing exactly that, when a strange sound reached his ears. He was about to conclude it had just been his imagination, when he heard it again, coming from the living room. He got up from his bed, and finally identified the source of the sound when it reached him one more time. Haru’s suspicions were confirmed when he opened the door, and spotted the tiny black cat sitting in the middle of his living room. The kitten looked at him with big blue eyes, and meowed once again.

     Haru didn’t have a cat.

_~•~_

Makoto had expected his night to end with a small dinner and an early meeting with his bed. He hadn’t expected a knock on his door only ten minutes after he got home. He hadn’t expected to see Haru standing there when he opened the door, neither.

     Lastly, on the list of things that Makoto wasn’t expecting, was the minuscule black kitten that Haru produced from inside his hoodie, holding him from under his front legs.

     “Haru!”

     “I found a cat in my living room,” was the boy’s only explanation, as if showing up at someone’s door with a cat hiding inside his hoodie was something he did every day.

     “You found a cat… in your living room!?” Haru nodded shortly, once again looking weirdly calm about the whole situation. Makoto was trying to comprehend how a cat could suddenly appear in a living room, when he heard a small meow. He looked down at the tiny ball of black fur, completely still despite being held in such an uncomfortable way. The kitten meowed again, round eyes fixed on Makoto, and stretched his small paws towards the man, squinting a little. “Haruuuuuu!” Makoto squealed, earning a confused look from both Haru and the cat. He reached out to grab the kitten, who immediately started purring, and held him against his chest. “It’s so cute!”

     And firstly on the list of things that Haru was expecting, was Makoto immediately falling in love with the cat.

_~•~_

     “He looks like you! Should we name him Haru?”

     “No,” Haru deadpanned, looking at the cat, and failing to see the resemblance with him.

     “I was just kidding!” Makoto laughed and looked at him from the floor, where he was seating with the kitten in his hands. Haru frowned at him, sinking a little further into Makoto’s couch. “Ah! I haven’t fed him yet!” Makoto said. He got up, walked towards Haru, and handed him the cat. “Hold him for me, I’ll be right back!”

     Haru took the tiny animal in his hands, and watched as Makoto ran to the kitchen. He held the kitten at arm length, the same way he had done earlier when he showed it to Makoto, and looked at him. The cat stared back, expression just as blank as the boy’s.

     “You don’t look like me at all…” Haru mumbled, frowning softly. The cat meowed, almost as if it was agreeing with him.

     “I’m back!” Makoto walked into the living room, holding a small bowl of milk. “I don’t have any tuna or anything, but I guess milk will do for now.”

     Makoto set the bowl on the floor, and Haru put the kitten down. It ran to the bowl, stumbling clumsily on its short legs, and began to drink the milk eagerly.

     “You’re getting milk all over your face!” Makoto said, laughing and petting the kitten, who purred loudly, entertained by its food.

     “It’s kinda dumb,” Haru observed.

     “Kinda… But he’s so cute! Look at him!” Makoto grinned widely, and lied down on the carpet to look closely at the tiny kitten. “I’m still wondering how he got into your living room…”

     “I think I left my window open. It must’ve climbed all the way to my apartment”.

     “Wow, what a brave little climber!”

     Haru was sure he had never seen Makoto look so happy. He had been playing with the cat for at least half an hour, and now he was lying down on the floor like a child, petting the kitten’s soft head with his index finger, and chuckling every two seconds. As much as Makoto insisted on pointing out the cat’s cuteness ( _Haru, look at his tiny paws! Aw, he’s yawning! So cute!_ ) Haru was completely sure that the kitten wasn’t the most adorable creature in the room.

     “I thought about keeping it, but I can’t have pets in my apartment. So I brought it here because I didn’t want to leave it out on the street.”

     “Can I keep him!?” Makoto sat up at the speed of lighting, grinning so widely that it looked like the top of his head would fall out any moment.

     “Um, yes…”

     “Yay!” Makoto squealed, lifting the cat up and rubbing his cheek on its head. “What should I name him?”

     “Misha,” Haru said. Makoto looked at him, then looked back at the cat.

     “Misha…” he mumbled, and then beamed once again. “It’s perfect! Do you like it, Misha?” the cat meowed, and Haru was started to get creeped out by the kitten’s apparent capacity to understand the human language. “He likes it!”

     “It’s the first thing I could think of,” Haru mumbled.

     “Thanks, Haru!”

     “You don’t have to thank me…” Haru was sure that he should be apologizing, _actually_ , for bringing a cat to Makoto’s house out of nowhere.

     Makoto put Misha down again, and watched as he kept drinking the milk he had brought.

     “We’re gonna be the best friends ever!”

     Haru glared at the cat, despite knowing full well that getting jealous of a pet was certainly ridiculous.

_~•~_

     “Aw, so cute!”

     “Right? He’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen!”

     “He’s quite adorable, actually.”

     Misha looked up at the three of them, and meowed quietly before approaching Makoto and rubbing against his feet. The man crouched down to lift the kitten up, kissing his furry little head.

     “Ah, Mako-chan, I want to hold him!” Nagisa said, stretching his arms at his friend and making grabby hands. Makoto handed Misha over to him, and laughed at the blond’s almost childish delight as he rubbed his cheek on the kitten’s face. “So soft!”

     “You think you can take care of him while I’m at college?” Makoto asked. “He’s still very young, so I don’t want him to be alone too much…”

     “Are you asking me to babysit your cat, Mako-chan?” Nagisa stopped petting the cat to look at him. “Absolutely yes!”

     “I thought so,” Makoto muttered, and chuckled once again when his friend placed Misha on top of his blond locks. “I actually have classes today, in the afternoon, so I’d be great if you could stay with him.”

     “Yes!” Nagisa said. “I have rehearsals tomorrow, but I’m free tonight!”

     “Where did you get him from, Makoto-sempai?” Rei asked.

     “Haru found him in his living room and brought him here.”

     “Haru-chan?” Nagisa looked at him with raised eyebrows, and Makoto immediately regretted uttering the boy’s name. “He was here in your house?”

     “Well, he…” Makoto rubbed the back of his neck, trying to avoid telling them that he had given his address to one of his students.

     “Did you do the nasty?” Nagisa interrupted him, wriggling his eyebrows.

     “Nagisa!” Rei and Makoto yelled in unison, earning a laugh from the blond, and a loud meow from Misha, still perched proudly on top of Nagisa’s head.

_~•~_

     “Hey, Nanase!”

     Haru turned around at the sound of his name, shutting his locker. As soon as he caught sight of Yabuki, he glared at him, still angry about the “Pizza Incident”, as Haru called it in his head. The freckled boy held up his hands, as if the dark-haired boy was pointing a gun at him (which was understandable, considering how scary his glares could get).

     “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about last night. I crossed a line, and I promise it won’t happen again,” Yabuki said, sincerity written across his features. Haru’s anger slowly faded away, and his face softened. “The boys wanted to apologize to, but they think you’re kinda… scary…” Haru’s hard look immediately returned to his face, and Yabuki took a step back, holding up his hands again. “Sorry, sorry!”

     “It’s fine,” Haru said after a small sigh. “You’re forgiven,” he walked past Yabuki, headed to the exit, but the other boy stopped him.

     “Wait, Nanase! Truth is, we all think you’re very cool, and we would really like to be friends with you!”

     Haru turned around, surprised. That was new, somebody calling him “cool” and wanting to be his friend. After all, he wasn’t exactly friendly…

     “If… you would like that too, of course…” Yabuki mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at his feet.

     Haru examined the boy in front of him with a hard look, before another small sigh left his lips.

     “Alright” he mumbled.

     “Really?” Yabuki smiled, clearly surprised by Haru’s answer. “That’s great!”

     “Class is about to start,” Haru said, turning around and walking away. He heard Yabuki’s footsteps approaching, and did his best to ignore the freckled boy’s chatter until Makoto arrived, and the class began.

_~•~_

     Haru fiddled nervously with the hem of his shirt, staring at the door. It was the second time in three days that he was standing outside Makoto’s door, willing himself to knock. The boy stared at the small bag1, and wondered if Makoto would think that bringing food for Misha was only an excuse to see him. He shook his head. _Makoto would never think something like that._

     Finally, he knocked.

     He heard some rustling from behind the door, and a tiny yelp before the door was opened, revealing an unfamiliar figure.   _This isn’t Makoto._ The person who opened the door was significantly shorter than Makoto, and more slender, too. He had blond hair and wide pink eyes, and _yeah, he definitely wasn’t Makoto._

     “Yes?” the stranger said in a chirpy voice.

     “I’m… I’m looking for Makoto…” Haru mumbled, more than a little taken aback by the strange man who opened the door of Makoto’s apartment.

     “Ah, you must be Haru-chan!” the blond said, clapping his hands together. If Haru had been confused before, he was completely bewildered now.

     “H-how do you know my name?”

     “I’ve been hearing about you for years, Haru-chan!” the stranger said with a wolfish grin. A sudden wave of realization hit the dark-haired boy when he remembered Makoto’s anecdotes of his high school friends.

   _“Nagisa’s… especial…”_ he had said, grimacing a little. And now, looking at the blond figure standing in Makoto’s doorway, Haru was beginning to understand the meaning of the word “especial”.

_~•~_

     “Nagisa, I’m home!” Makoto yelled out, closing the door behind him. “I brought some tuna for Misha, do you think he will…?”

*****

     **A small list of the things that Tachibana Makoto was not expecting when he got home:**

Nanase Haruka sitting at his dining table with Hazuki Nagisa.

*****

“Mako-chan, welcome back!” Nagisa got up from his chair and skipped over to him to grab the grocery bags from his hands. “We already fed Misha-nyan, Haru-chan brought some canned food for him!”

     “Haru, what are you doing here?” Makoto asked. The dark-haired boy looked at him, back straight, and hands tightly fisted on top of the table, looking completely and utterly tense. Misha was fast asleep on his lap, unaffected by Haru’s evident uncomfortableness.

     “I invited him in!” Nagisa said, coming from the kitchen with a tray carrying three steaming cups. “We were about to have some tea!”

     “I was just leaving…” Haru mumbled.

     “Don’t be ridiculous, Haru-chan!” Nagisa set the tray on the table and sat in front of the boy, who did his best to look anywhere but the blonde’s pink eyes. “We were talking about what an amazing lifeguard you were, Mako-chan!”

     “Nagisa,” Makoto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m sure Haru has to leave now. I’m gonna walk him home and then-”

     “I get it!” Nagisa exclaimed. “You want some time alone!”

     “What? No, that’s not what I-!” Makoto stammered, noticing how Haru’s ears turned a bright shade of pink.

     “I’ll be leaving, then!” Nagisa said, completely ignoring his friend. He grabbed his coat from his chair, and walked towards the door. The blond opened it and turned around, grinning widely. “It was nice meeting you, Haru-chan! We have to meet up for tea again someday!”

     “Bye, Nagisa!” Makoto said, fearing for Haru’s mental health if Nagisa kept tormenting him.

     “Bye-bye!” the blond chanted, shutting the door at last.

     They were submerged in silence for a moment. Misha opened his eyes and stretched on Haru’s lap before curling up to sleep again.

     “I’m sorry...” Makoto mumbled.

     “You were right.” Haru looked up at him, finally relaxing a little. “He _is_ special…”

_~•~_

     As he flopped into his bed, Haru concluded that his small meeting with Hazuki Nagisa had completely drained him of all his energy. The boy stared at his phone, where the clock signalled eleven thirty p.m. _I wonder if Makoto is still awake…_

The boy quickly tapped a text message on his screen, and stared at it momentarily before hitting the send button:

_“How angry would you be if I skipped your class tomorrow?”_

     Makoto’s reply came a few moments later, much to Haru’s delight.

_“I know you wouldn’t miss a chance to be near your beloved water, Haru!”_

     Haru couldn’t help but smile, and he was about to write another message, when his phone vibrated in his hand, indicating a new text from Makoto. _“Someone’s missing you,”_ it read, attached to a picture of Misha sleeping soundly on top of Makoto, who was lying down on his bed. Once again, the boy felt a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and quickly wrote a response.

_“Well, I’m going to sleep too. Good night.”_

     Just when he was about to fall completely asleep, Haru’s phone vibrated with another text message. Struggling to keep his eyes opened, the boy opened it, and couldn’t stop the burst of laugher that escaped him when he read it.

_“What did the wave say to the shore?_

_Sea you later! :)”_

He immediately typed out a response.

_"Isn’t it too late to be making such terrible jokes?”_

_“You said you liked my puns!”_

_“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”_

_“I think you mean: water you talking about? :)”_

_“Really?”_

_“I’m sorry, Haru, it’s not on porpoise!”_

_“Go to sleep, Makoto.”_

_“Haha, I will. Sea you tomorrow, Haru! ;)”_

_“Good night, Makoto.”_

_“goodnight! <3”_

     Haru stared disbelievingly at Makoto’s last message, adorned with a tiny heart at the end. Normally, the sight of a silly heart emoticon wouldn’t send his own heart on a beating frenzy, but right then, the boy’s chest felt like it was about to explode. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

     And suddenly, he understood. All those moments when he struggled to speak, or just _breathe_ in front of Makoto, the butterflies that danced around his stomach every time Makoto smiled at him, how at ease he felt inside Makoto’s arms, breathing in his smell and hearing his voice… All those years of yearning, and missing him, and wishing nothing but to see him again… Suddenly, everything made sense.

     Haru sat up on his bed, completely awake now. The weight of his sudden realization felt way too heavy for him to handle it alone. Before he knew it, he was dialing a number on his phone, hastily pushing it against his ear. It rang a couple times, before a familiar voice was heard from the other side of the line.

     “Haru…?”

     “Rin!”

     “Haru, what the hell? It’s almost two a.m. here, I was sleeping!” Rin whined. Haru was silent for a moment, trying to muster enough confidence to tell his friend about the motive of his call “What happened?”

     “Rin…”

     “What? Jesus, Haru, what the hell did you call me for, are you alright?”

     The boy breathed in deeply, and swallowed thickly. He let out a shaky breath, and finally let the words out, feeling each and every single one of them as they slowly left his lips, so full of realization that they felt heavy inside his mouth.

     “I’m in love with my swimming coach”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up at allen-walkers on Tumblr! :)


	6. Chapter 6

     “WHAT!?” Rin’s screaming voice could be heard loud and clear from the phone Haru was holding at arm length, and _ok, maybe telling Rin was a bad idea._ “So let me get this straight; I’ve known you for _years_ , and you’ve never even shown a little bit of interest in anything that wasn’t related to water. And now, you call me, at this ungodly hour, to tell me you’re in love with your TEACHER!?”

     “Yes.”

     “Goddammit, Haruka!” There was a beat of silence from Rin, before he spoke again, more calmly this time. “Is he hot?”

     Haru blushed madly at his friend’s words. _Is he hot?_ He thought about Makoto’s green eyes, so nice and warm, and his wide smile, almost permanently gracing his face. He thought about strands of light brown hair falling over gentle features, strong and defined, but always softened by a gentle expression. He thought about broad shoulders and a strong, muscly back, about toned arms and a firm, wide torso. He thought about long legs, just as beautiful and well-defined as the rest of Makoto’s athletic body, chiseled by years of training. And he thought about that narrow line of fine, light-colored hair that ran down from Makoto’s navel and disappeared under his swimsuit and into…

     “Yes,” Haru hurried to answer, preventing his mind from entering more dangerous territory. His was face completely flushed, and even though he tried to convince himself otherwise, his breathing was ragged and hot. “He is.”

     “Aw, man!” Rin’s laughter suddenly rang from the other side of the line, much to Haru’s annoyance. “It’s like that time in elementary school when you had a crush on that lifeguard!” The dark-haired boy had to suppress a sigh. He was almost used to Rin’s capacity to always say the worst possible thing in the worst possible moment. _Almost_. “Remember when your mom told me that story? You almost killed her!”

     Haru was completely silent. Rin’s laugh died out slowly, leaving the both of them immersed in an awkward silence, until the redhead spoke up again. All traces of laughter had disappeared from his voice.

     “Haru, don’t tell me…”

     “It’s him.”

     “Shut up.”

     “My swimming coach is the lifeguard.”

     “What the fuck, Haru!?” Rin groaned. “The same guy? He’s eight years older than you!”

     “I know!” Haru snapped, because _he knew._

     “You were always a Lolita, weren’t you?”

     “I’m not a Lolita!”

     “Do you even know what a Lolita is?”

     Haru stammered, all impulse for an aggressive response dying in the back of his throat, because _no, he didn’t know what a Lolita was._ Still he was sure the redhead was making fun of him _again._

     “Shut up, Rin.”

     Rin’s hearty laugh filled the line again, and Haru was incredibly tempted to hang up on him.

     “So?” the redhead said once he stopped laughing. “What are you gonna do about it?”

     “I… don’t know…” Haru mumbled. His sudden realization about his love for Makoto had only happened a few minutes ago. He hadn’t even thought about what he’d do next. Not until Rin asked. “I guess I’ll just-”

     “You’re gonna sleep with him?”

     “No!” Haru felt his face heating up all over again. _Stupid Rin._

     “Oh, so you don’t wanna sleep with him?” Rin’s teasing voice felt like tiny daggers inside Haru’s ears.

     “No! I mean, yes! No! Ugh, SHUT UP, RIN!”

     If you’d asked Haru a few minutes earlier what had been the worst decision he had made that night, he would’ve definitely said that it had been not running away the moment he saw Hazuki Nagisa standing in the doorway of Makoto’s apartment. But I you’d asked him the same question not even five minutes after his call with Rin began, the answer would’ve had a lot to do with calling a certain redhead.

     “Geez, calm down, you virgin fish!” Rin said, laughing at him again. Haru was considering buying a ticket to Australia, _just_ to kick Rin’s ass, when his friend spoke up again, with an uncommonly serious voice. “It’s not just sex right?”

     Haru wasn’t expecting that. Not from Rin, who seemed to think _everything_ was just sex.

 _That’s not true”_ the boy scolded himself. He remembered the way Rin looked at Sousuke, the way his eyes tinkled when he spoke about _“His eye color, Haru! I’ve never seen eyes like his before!”_

     He remembered seeing Rin cry in Sousuke’s arms, holding onto him for dear life, as if the possibility of losing him was enough to make him completely desperate. And then, he thought that maybe, _just maybe_ , Rin understood. Even if he was a _freaking prick_.

     “No, it’s not,” Haru mumbled. It was so much more. But how could’ve he put into words what he was feeling, when his heart threatened to climb up his throat and leave his body every time he thought about Makoto?

     “I see…” Rin muttered thoughtfully. After a short silent moment, his voice reached Haru from the other end of the line, reminding the dark-haired boy about his previous intentions of going to Australia and murder the redhead. “But you could sleep with him if you wanted to! That’s the good thing about being a Lolita. Right, Haru?”

     “I’ll kick your ass the next time I see you, Matsuoka.”

     “Bring it on, Nanase!”

_~•~_

     “Makoto…”

     _Haru…?_

“Makoto… please…”

     A soft whimper reached his ears. It had been soft, almost inaudible, but it was enough to transform every one of Makoto’s thoughts into one single word: _Haru._

     “Haru,” he whispered against the boy’s lips, earning a tiny moan by raking his hands down Haru’s bare back.

     “Makoto…” Haru’s voice was sweet, but also a little bit raspy, and utterly _intoxicating_. “I need you… I need you so bad…”

     Makoto had been struggling to keep calm, (a very difficult task, especially with Haru’s naked body on top on his own), but the dark-haired boy’s words were enough to make every ounce of self-control abandon him. Makoto wrapped his arms around the younger male, and turned them around so that he was hovering over Haru, his hands on both sides of the boy’s head. Blue eyes met his gaze, framed by long eyelashes; eyes dark with desire, eagerness, and lust. Makoto took his time to admire Haru’s blue orbs, before moving on to his slightly parted lips, kiss-swollen and irresistibly pink, even darker than the profound blush that spread across Haru’s cheeks. Lastly, Makoto eyed Haru’s naked torso, taut muscles trembling under soft expanses of pale skin, aching to be explored. _God, he is so beautiful…_

“Makoto,” Haru repeated, his voice more urgent now, laced with want and undeniable _need._ “I want you inside of me…”

     Before the boy could even finish his sentence, Makoto kissed him roughly, reveling in the softness of his lips. Haru’s mouth parted a little bit more, allowing Makoto to trace the boy’s upper lip with his tongue. He softly bit on his lower lip before breaking the kiss, and moving on to Haru’s neck, where he left wet trails of soft kisses, and an occasional bite that the boy seemed to enjoy, judging by the stream of pleased groans and sighs that escaped him.

     After a few moments of admiring Haru’s soft neck, Makoto reached his chest. His lips effortlessly found the boy’s left nipple, tongue darting out to give an experimental lick. Once again, Haru moaned, louder this time, and that was all the indication that the man needed to do it again, sucking lightly this time, and tugging gently at the tiny nub with his teeth.

     “Makoto!” Haru practically _screamed_. He arched his back, his entire body seeking more of his lover’s attention, skin flushed and hot under Makoto’s skilled hands and mouth. The older male reached out with his other hand, and pinched Haru’s right nipple, his mouth still focused on the left one. The boy let out a broken moan, followed by a whimper and a loud. “Makoto, please!”

     And in the midst of Haru’s moans, the insistent _beep_ of an alarm clock woke Makoto up. Startled, he sat up on his bed, chest rising and falling rapidly. His body felt hot all over, and a thin layer of sweat covered his skin. Lastly, a quick glance under the sheets confirmed Makoto’s suspicions about the state of his underwear.

     Makoto reached out to turn off his alarm, and flopped back on his bed. He covered his eyes with his forearm, and tried to steady his breathing.

 _“Now that’s a great way to start the day,”_ he thought, uncomfortably aware of the wetness inside his boxers.  _“Having a wet dream about one of your students.”_

_~•~_

     “Nagisa, stop laughing!” Makoto whined. Misha followed him into the kitchen, bouncing on his tiny legs and meowing insistently. “I know, I know, be patient!” he said to the kitten. He opened a cupboard to take out a can of cat food, while Nagisa’s loud laughter still rang from the other side of the line.

     “I’m sorry, Mako-chan! But-” the blond burst out laughing again. Makoto could picture him, sitting on his couch and clutching his stomach. “It’s so funny!”

     “It’s not funny!” Makoto exclaimed, as he emptied the can on a small plate and placed it on the floor for Misha to eat it. “I haven’t had a wet dream since I was in high school!”

     “So, who was it?”

     “What do you mean?”

    “Don’t play dumb with me, Mako-chan! The person in your dream!” Nagisa’s voice was tinted with a teasing tone, as always. “It was Haru-chan, wasn’t it?”

     There was a tiny beat of silence, in which Makoto stared blankly at the wall, leaning on the kitchen counter.

     “No.”

     “Yes, it was!” Nagisa began to laugh again, even louder this time. Makoto sighed, and rubbed his eyes with his right hand.

     “I don’t know why I keep telling you everything,” he mumbled.

     “You looooove telling me everything!” Nagisa said confidently. Once again, Makoto sighed, knowing very well that his friend was right. “You’re kind of a masochist, aren’t you, Mako-chan?”

     “And you’re a complete sadist, Nagisa,” Makoto teased back. He leaned down to pet Misha. The kitten rubbed his head against his owner’s hands, purring loudly, and looked up at Makoto with his big blue eyes, round and shiny against his dark fur. _“He really looks a lot like Haru,”_ Makoto mused, smiling to himself.

     “Mako-chan, are you there?” Nagisa’s voice brought him back to reality.

     “Ah, yes sorry! I got distracted…”

     “Thinking about Haru-chan?” the blond said.

     “Maybe…” Makoto mumbled, and he immediately regretted uttering that single word. Nagisa squealed loudly, and the sharp sound of his voice left an annoying ringing in Makoto’s ear.

     “Aw, come on, Mako-chan, just marry him already!”

     “Nagisa, you’re obsessed with Haru!”

     “Well, he _is_ incredibly cute.” Makoto felt the tip of his ears turning red, because _yes, he was very cute._ “But I’m not the one who had a wet dream about him!”

     Makoto groaned, mentally cursing Nagisa.

     “Just don’t tell Rei,” he said. Makoto walked to the fridge and opened it. Misha followed, still purring loudly, and sat right next to his bare feet.

     “I won’t!”

     After examining the contents of his fridge, and deciding to have cereal for breakfast, Makoto made a mental note to ensure Nagisa’s silence with a piece of strawberry cake.

_~•~_

     Haru was really thankful for the fact that he didn’t have class with Makoto the day after realizing his real feelings for him, even if that meant sitting through a two hour lesson of _Swimmer’s Anatomy_. At least he had Yabuki’s unending chatter to keep him from falling asleep.

     The fact that he wouldn’t have to see Makoto’s face, or hear his voice, was really comforting. Not because he didn’t like looking at Makoto, or hearing his voice (quite the contrary, actually), but because Haru was sure he would turn into a babbling mess the moment he needed to say something to him. Actually, if the pace at which his heart hit his ribcage every time he had even the slightest thought about Makoto was any indicator, Haru would probably need an ambulance the moment he caught a glimpse of his perfect green eyes. He knew he wasn’t ready.

     So when he got a text from Makoto asking if he wanted to come with him and Misha to the latter’s vet appointment, he wasn’t really sure why he had immediately said yes. He was sure, however, of the fact that he was a complete and total idiot.

_~•~_

Makoto looked around, squinting at the dozens of faces that crowded the ever-busy train station. Misha meowed loudly inside the tiny cardboard box he was being carried in. His paw popped out from one of the holes Makoto had cut on the side of the rudimentary mean of transportation.

     “I’m sorry, buddy,” Makoto said, touching the kitten’s paw with his index finger. “This is for your own good,” he looked around again, searching for a familiar face.

     That dream had meant nothing. He had been spending a lot of time with Haru lately. That, mixed with the fact that a lot of time had passed since his last _sexual encounter_ , as he called it inside his head, had been the reason why his subconscious had conjured such a strange dream. That was it. It was completely understandable. Or at least, that was what Makoto wanted to believe.

     So, with the intention of proving to himself that dreaming dirty things about Haru was no big deal, he had invited him to tag along for Misha’s vet appointment. Now, as he stood in the middle of the crowded train station where they had decided to meet, with his heart beating loudly and jitters dancing around in his stomach, he was beginning to think that it had been a bad idea.

     “This was definitely a bad idea,” he mumbled when he finally caught sight of raven hair and blue eyes. It had been a bad idea, indeed, considering the fact that looking at the boy did absolutely nothing to settle Makoto’s thoughts about his _morning predicament_. In fact, it only made matters worse. At the very instant when Haru’s eyes met his, Makoto’s mind was flooded by vivid memories of the boy moaning his name.

     “Makoto!” Haru exclaimed, his real voice mixing with the one inside Makoto’s head.

     _“I need you… I need you so bad…”_

     “H-Haru!” Makoto choked out, cursing his entire existence while trying to put a convincing smile on his face. The boy strode towards him, delicate strands of hair bouncing on his head with every step he took.

     “Did you wait too long?” Haru asked.

     “No, I just got here!”

     The boy looked up at him, and quickly looked away, hiding his face behind his bangs.

 _"Is he blushing?”_ Makoto thought. Suddenly, the image of Haru lying underneath him popped in his mind, face flushed and hair tousled, looking so desperate, and needy, and…

     A loud, whiny meow brought him back to reality, almost as if Misha was reminding his owner that he was being kept in that cardboard box for way much longer than he deserved. Makoto felt his face heating up, and quickly turned around to avoid Haru’s eyes.

     “Sh-shall we go?” he asked, looking at Haru from over his shoulder. The boy nodded curtly, still trying to hide his reddened cheeks, and Makoto wondered for a moment if the reason behind Haru’s blush was that he was actually a psychic, and he was reading his mind, seeing all the dirty thoughts and memories from that morning’s dream.

     For the sake of his mental health, Makoto decided to completely dismiss that possibility.

~•~

     “Well, he’s a completely healthy kitten!” the vet said, a bright smile on her face. “And a very cuddly one, too!”

     She handed the purring cat to Makoto, who immediately held him against his chest.

     “Thanks, doctor!” he said brightly, petting Misha’s head.

     “How many times do I need to tell you to just call me by my name?” The woman scolded Makoto, placing her hands on her hips. Makoto laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, holding Misha in his other hand. The vet turned to look at Haru, who returned the look with wide eyes. “I’ve known him for almost five years, and he keeps calling me ‘doctor’!”

     “Five years?” Haru asked, frowning slightly.

     ”Yes! Tachibana-san always brings us stray cats he finds in the street,” the vet said scribbling something on a piece of paper. “This is the first time he’s had one of his own.”

     Haru looked at Makoto, who was still distractedly playing with Misha. The man turned his head to look at him, catching his eye.

     “What’s wrong, Haru?”

     And because Haru couldn’t say out loud that he had just fallen in love with Makoto all over again, he settled for a mumbled _“It’s nothing…”_

     “Here!” the vet said, giving the paper she had been scribbling on to Makoto. “He’s not even two months old, so we can’t deworm him yet, but I do recommend an anti-flea talc. Just give this to the receptionist!”

     “Understood!” Makoto said with a bright smile. “Thanks doc-Asahina-san!” he quickly corrected himself.

     The woman beamed at Makoto, and then turned to look at Haru for a moment, before motioning for him to come closer.

     “He seems to be an indulgent daddy, so make sure Tachibana-san doesn’t feed Misha more than three times a day,” she whispered.

     “Understood." Haru nodded, earning a wink from Asahina.

     A quick glance at Makoto, who was peppering Misha with kisses, was more than enough to confirm the doctor’s words: he definitely was an indulgent daddy.

~•~

     “Thanks for walking me home. You didn’t have to,” Haru mumbled, eyes cast downwards. They had had to leave Misha at Makoto’s house first, tired of hearing the kitten’s whiny meows. Then, despite Haru’s objections, Makoto had insisted on walking the boy home. 

     “No, I wanted to! That way I can spend more time with you, Haru.”

     The boy was really grateful that wasn’t looking at Makoto. He wasn’t sure his heart could take the wonderful sight of the man’s trademark grin, combined with what he had just said. _“He wanted to spend more time with me…”_ the boy thought, placing a hand on his thumping chest, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

     “Thanks for coming with me today, Haru,” Makoto said, ruffling the boy’s hair. His hand felt warm, fingers effortlessly finding their place amongst Haru’s dark locks. The boy closed his eyes momentarily, enjoying the feeling of Makoto’s touch. “Haru…” Makoto mumbled, snapping him out of his trance “I know I’ve said this a lot of times before, but…” the light-haired man sighed, and a tiny smile graced his lips. “I’m really glad we got the chance to see each other again…”

     Haru’s head snapped up, breathe frozen in his throat. Makoto’s hand was still resting on top of his head, but he moved it down to cup the back of the boy’s neck, his thumb slowly tracing his jawline. It was such an intimate touch, so soft and gentle, that Haru had to fight the urge to pinch himself to confirm he wasn’t dreaming. Makoto smiled softly at him, and his eyes twinkled in a way the boy had never seen before. He would’ve given anything to know what was going on inside the man’s mind.

     “I’m really glad too,” Haru whispered, looking into straight into Makoto’s eyes.

     Slowly, almost carefully, Makoto pulled on the boy’s head until he was resting against his chest. His other hand moved to circle his waist, holding him a little bit closer, and then rested his chin on top of Haru’s head.

     “I know I shouldn’t do this,” he mumbled. Haru could hear Makoto’s heart beating loudly inside his chest, and he wondered if the man felt as nervous as himself “But sometimes I remember how much I missed you, Haru… And it’s like my body can’t stop itself from hugging you.”

     Makoto sighed, and placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders to push him back a little bit. Haru looked up at him, no longer caring about the blush on his cheeks, or the loudness of his heart, or anything that wasn’t Makoto, and Makoto’s eyes, and his hair, his hands, his voice, his _everything_.

     _“So this is what being in love feels like…”_ the boy mused, slowly losing himself inside the green depth of Makoto’s eyes. They hugged once again, more loosely this time. Haru pressed his ear to Makoto’s chest, closed his eyes, and breathed in his fragrance, the one he had grown to love so much. He focused on the sound of the man’s heart, and the slow rise and fall of his chest, and wondered how could one single person invade his mind and overwhelm his senses just by existing. _“That’s because I love him…”_ he reminded himself, sighing softly.

     _What are you gonna do about it?_

     Rin’s words suddenly rang across his mind, forcing him to open his eyes.

     _“What am I going to do about it?”_

     The boy looked up, catching Makoto’s eyes. He took a step back, separating himself from the delightful warmth of the man’s arms. Haru breathed in deeply, and shakily breathed out, eyes fixed on Makoto’s.

     “Haru?”

     “Makoto… I-”

     A loud ringing sound interrupted Haru. The boy froze up, open-mouthed, as the words died behind his lips. Suddenly, he was no longer able to access the courage he had mustered a few moments ago.

     “Your phone…” Makoto said, pointing at the boy’s pocket.

     “Sorry,” the boy mumbled, reaching down to his pocket.

     “Oh, no, take your time!” Makoto smiled at him, sweet as always.

     Haru took his phone out, gritting his teeth, and cursing the only person who texted him anyway. While he read the text, he hoped that, wherever Rin was at the moment, he got attacked by a giant concentration of very angry bees.

    _“hey, haru! is your teacher by any chance Tachibana Makoto?”_

    _“How did you know?”_ the boy answered, frowning deeply. Rin’s response came only a few seconds later.

     _“lets just say I did some research on you university’s web page. and then on facebook.”_

_“What the hell, Rin!?”_

     _“and let me just say something: if you don’t climb that like a tree, i will but a ticket to Tokyo and do it myself, because HOT DAMN!!!”_

     Haru glanced up from his phone, and looked at Makoto with a completely blank expression.

     “Makoto, how many years would I spend in prison for murdering someone?” he asked in a completely serious voice. Makoto seemed to think about it for a few moments.

     “A lot,” he finally sentenced. And then after a beat of silence: “Please don’t kill anyone, Haru.”

     “I’ll do my best.” Haru sighed, deciding to ignore Rin. _For now._ “But I can’t promise anything”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you had a wonderful holiday, and if you don't celebrate it, then I hope you had a wonderful day! :D This chapter is a bit longer than the others, I hope you guys like it!


	7. Chapter 7

     “And then I hugged him again! I shouldn’t do that, I’m his teacher! And I shouldn’t have asked him to come with me to the vet… Ugh, Rei would kill me if he found out! He’d make commit seppuku!” Makoto paced around his living room, running his hands through his hair over and over in a futile attempt to calm himself down. “And he would do humanity a favour, really! God, I’m such a mess…” he sat down on the edge of his couch, elbows on his legs, and holding his face with his hands. “But Haru looked like he was going to say something important. And for a moment I just thought…” Makoto let out a weird mix of a groan and a squeal, unable to finish his sentence. “And my heart was doing weird things inside my chest! You know what I mean?”

     Misha blinked at his owner from the floor, and walked towards him to rub him head against his shin. Makoto leaned down to pick the kitten up, and flopped back into the cushions.

     “Of course you don’t,” he mumbled, eyes fixed on the roof. “All you care about is food… Aren’t you hungry?” The kitten meowed softly and jumped from his hands, landing gracefully on the floor. He turned his head to look at Makoto again, before heading to the kitchen. Makoto got up from the couch and followed Misha, wondering if the kitten could actually understand what he was saying.

     While he was opening the cabinets to grab a can of cat food, Makoto remembered the vet’s instructions, delivered to him by a serious-looking Haru just a few hours ago: _Do not feed him more than three times a day_. He hesitated for a moment, before looking at Misha and smiling softly.

     “They don’t have to know, do they?” he said, winking to the kitten and opening the can to empty its contents into a small plate.

     Makoto crouched down to place the plate on the floor, and stared at Misha while he ate. He softly caressed the kitten’s ears, earning a content purr.

     “I’m so glad Haru found you, you know?” The smile on his lips vanished immediately at the thought of the boy, his mind recounting every minute they had spent together that afternoon.

     Every time Haru talked, Makoto couldn’t stop himself from staring at the way his lips formed words, and his heart fluttered every time he caught sight of the boy’s pink tongue darting out to lick his lips. When Haru looked at him, Makoto had to restrain himself from kissing him breathless, wondering if his lips were as soft as they ones he had kissed in his dream. And when their hands accidentally brushed together, or their shoulders bumped while they walked, Makoto’s mind was flooded with memories of the Haru he saw in his dream, all flushed skin and raspy voice, looking at him with eyes dark as the ocean itself, eyes that he wanted to drown in...

     And there he was, thinking about that dream again, letting it invade his thoughts. After that dream, just the thought ofthe boy, of his endless blue eyes under dark locks of hair, or his elegant frame and beautiful features, or his soft voice, left Makoto breathing heavily and fearing a heart attack from the way his chest threatened to burst.

     “Stop thinking about it!” Makoto scolded himself, dragging his hands down his face. Misha looked at him, delicately licking the sides of his mouth. “What should I do, Misha?” Makoto asked, predictably getting no response from the cat. The man sighed, and smiled wearily at the kitten. “Sometimes I wish you could talk…”

~•~

   During class, he called Haru “Nanase-kun”. In turn, the boy called him “Tachibana-sensei”. It was the appropriate thing to do; after all, as much as they were friends outside of class, they still had to maintain a respectful teacher-student relationship in front of others. Still, hearing Haru call him that way was gradually becoming harder and harder for Makoto.

     At first, Makoto assumed that the painful twists he felt in his stomach every time the boy called him “Tachibana-sensei” were occasioned by the apparent distance in Haru’s voice. Being used to hearing the raven-haired boy call him by his name, it was natural for Makoto to feel strange when Haru addressed him in such a respectful manner.

     However, the real answer made itself clear when Makoto has another dream about Haru, almost a week after the first one. While Makoto kissed him all over, caressing his thighs to get the boy to spread his legs, Haru had let out a tiny “sensei”, followed by a louder, raspier one, when Makoto bit the inside of his thigh.

     After that, Makoto had woken up with a start, panting, and entirely flushed. Two things became crystal clear in that moment, while he tried to even his breathing and avoid a heart attack. The first one: if he kept having dirty dreams about Haru, he was going to be in serious need of cardiac surgery at the young age of twenty six. The second one: the fluttery feeling that invaded his chest every time Haru called him “sensei” had nothing to do with being unused to formality.

     A loud splashing sound brought Makoto back to reality, and away from the overwhelming memories of that second dream. He looked down at the clipboard he was holding and mentally slapped himself from dozing off while doing the students’ evaluations. _And thinking about an erotic dream he had about one of them._

     “I’m the worst…” Makoto muttered to himself, scribbling down a couple of observations next to one of the boys’ name. His eyes skimmed down the list, looking for the name of the next student to be observed that day. And, unsurprisingly, the next one was Nanase Haruka.

     Makoto looked up from the clipboard and walked around the edge of the pool, searching for Haru. Suddenly, the dark-haired boy emerged from the water, grabbing on to the edge and pulling himself up with strong arms to get out of the pool. Haru took off his cap and goggles with one swift movement, and shook his head, tiny droplets of water flying from his hair. He raised his hands over this head to stretch his arms, probably tired from almost an hour of swimming, and the muscles of his back shifted under his skin. Suddenly, Makoto was unable to tear his eyes off him.

     Haru turned his head and looked directly at Makoto, all blue eyes, dark locks, and wet skin. Under the dim lights of the room, the boy looked positively _angelical._

     Makoto was trying to catch his breath, when Haru’s eyes widened all of sudden. He saw the boy’s lips moving, his voice reaching Makoto’s ears like it was coming from far, far away, before he was suddenly surrounded by water.

~•~

     Haru was in the middle of stretching, when Yabuki’s “psst” called his attention. He stared at the freckled boy, who grinned at him, and pointed at the other side of the pool. Confused, Haru turned his head to look over his shoulder, his eyes immediately falling on Makoto. The man was staring directly at him, walking slowly around the edge of the pool. His eyes were wide, his lips were slightly parted, and the intent way he was looking at Haru would’ve made the boy blush to the tip of his ears, if Makoto hadn’t been walking straight into the water.

     “Tachibana-sensei!” Haru called out, trying to warn him. But it was too late. Not even a second later, Makoto fell into the pool, his body disappearing into the water, along with the clipboard he was holding.

     Haru rushed to the opposite side of the pool, along with Yabuki and a bunch of his other classmates. As soon as they reached the rapidly shrinking patch of bubbles were their teacher had been a few moments ago, a blur of light brown hair broke the surface. Makoto took a deep breath and shook his head to get the water out of his eyes. He stared silently at his students, who returned his look with a mixture of concern and held-back laughter.

     “Well, the pool seemed so nice today, I couldn’t help myself!” Makoto said after a few moments, beaming at the boys.

     Everybody burst out laughing, tension immediately fading from their faces. Makoto reached the edge of the pool in two elegant strokes, chuckling, and trying to hide the slight blush that colored his cheeks. Haru was the only one who didn’t laugh, concern still evident in his features.

     “Are you okay, Ma-Tachibana-sensei?” he asked, stretching out his right arm to help Makoto out.

     “I’m fine, I just was…” Makoto eyed the boy’s hand, but he didn’t grab it “…distracted.” The man placed his hands on the edge of the pool and hoisted himself up to get out of the water. Haru stared momentarily at his outstretched arm, before retrieving it sheepishly.

     Makoto had definitely seen the boy trying to help him, but had chosen to ignore him. That simple fact was enough to leave an uncomfortable weight in Haru’s chest that refused to disappear during the remaining minutes of the class, and stayed with him for the rest of the day.            

~•~

     Two weeks had passed. Two weeks, and Makoto was still avoiding him. Because as much as Haru refused to believe it at first, there was no denying it: Makoto had definitely been avoiding him.

     Makoto’s responses to Haru’s text messages had gradually become rarer and shorter, until he stopped answering altogether. He didn’t even send him pictures of Misha anymore (and the dark-haired boy had to admit to himself that he missed them). He would scurry away every time Haru wanted to talk with him after classes, always saying that he had a meeting, or a vet appointment, or any obviously false excuse he could come up with, until one day he started completely ignoring him.

     When Haru decided to leave behind the last remains of his dignity and text Makoto the most terrible pun he could come up with, and received no answer even after two hours, he finally had to accept the fact that he was being completely ignored by Makoto.

     He probably should’ve been sad. Instead, he was confused, and very, _very angry._

     “What’s with him all of sudden?” Haru mumbled to himself, frowning, and sinking a little bit further into his bathtub. The boy eyed his phone, and another rush of annoyance washed over him when he remembered the stupid, still unansweredpun he had sent to Makoto.

     _“Maybe I should call him,”_ he thought, anger momentarily receding, and giving way to worry.  _“What if he isn’t answering because something happened to him?”_

     Haru shook his head, frowning a little bit deeper. Makoto had been avoiding him for two weeks now, and that was the reason why he wasn’t answering. Once he had finally understood the undeniable fact that he was being ignored, Haru had been squeezing his brain, trying to guess the reason behind Makoto’s actions. But after hours of musing and trying to come up with hypothesis, the boy had no idea why. He couldn’t remember if he had done something to offend Makoto, or if he had said something dumb to him. It was completely _exasperating._

   Suddenly, Haru’s phone rang loudly on the sink were he had left it, startling him out of his thoughts. He scrambled out of the water, his usual grace and previous anger completely forgotten at the possibility of Makoto being the one calling him. One beaten toe and a couple muttered curses later, the boy was standing in the middle of his tiny bathroom, wet, naked, and incredibly annoyed at the sight of Rin’s name shining on the screen of his phone. He pressed the button to answer the call with a little more force than necessary.

     “What?” Haru said harshly into the receiver.

     “Whoa, what crawled up your ass and died? Is that how you answer all your calls?”

     Haru sighed, and was about to apologize when Rin’s voice reached him again.

     “You seriously need to get laid, Nanase.”

     “Goodbye, Rin”.

     “No, wait, don’t hang up!”

     The dark-haired boy sighed loudly.

     "What do you want?” he said, getting inside the bathtub again.

     “Nothing, I’m bored.” Haru rolled his eyes at his friend’s response. “How’re things with your beloved coach?” Rin’s voice had a teasing tone to it, but Haru decided to ignore it. After a few beats of silence, Rin spoke up again. “Haru, are you there?”

     “He’s been avoiding me for two weeks and I don’t know why.”

     Haru waited for Rin to answer, watching as tiny drops of water fell from his bangs and into the water. A few seconds had passed when the redhead’s voice finally rang across the line again.

     “What did you do, Haru?”

     “I didn’t do anything!” the dark-haired boy exclaimed, annoyed. “That’s the worst part. I don't even know what I did…”

     “But, wait, all of sudden?” Rin asked. “I thought you were friends?”

     “He doesn’t answer my texts, and he ignores me when I talk to him…” Haru mumbled, without realizing that a small pout was forming in his lips.

     “I think he likes you.”

     “Wh-what the hell are you saying?” Haru stammered, nearly dropping his phone into the bathtub. "How did you even reach that conclusion!?"

     “It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” Rin’s voice was devoid of any trace of teasing, much to Haru’s surprise. “He likes you, but he’s your teacher, so he avoids you because he doesn’t want to jump you.”

     “That’s ridiculous,” Haru said, frowning slightly, and ignoring the fact that his face was heating up.

     “It makes perfect sense! You don’t understand because you have the sentimental experience of a toilet paper roll,” Rin stated. Haru opened his mouth to defend himself, but closed it again when he realized that his friend was actually right. He was completely useless in the matters of the heart. Still, Rin’s suggestion made no sense.

     _“There is no way Makoto likes me,”_ the boy thought, his frown deepening.

     “Anyway,” Rin continued. “You should talk to him about it, don’t you think?”

     “I already told you, he’s been ignoring me.”

     “Haru, the last time we spoke, I asked you what you were going to do,” Rin said, surprising the dark-haired boy with the seriousness of his voice. “Are you going to let your relationship with him go down the drain without even knowing why?”

     For the first time in a long time, Rin managed to leave Haru speechless. Even after their phone call was over, the redhead’s words echoed around his head, and hung in the air, his question still unanswered.

~•~

     In all his years of living, Makoto couldn’t recall a time when he had felt worse. He was completely sure that he was the most despicable person to ever walk the face of earth. Every time he tried to imagine what Haru’s face would look like whenever he didn’t answer his texts, or refused to spend time with him after classes, his heart broke in a million pieces. _“I’m the worst”_ had become the most common thought in his head during the last two weeks. But, what else could he do?

     The situation had been getting out of hand. Haru had invaded his every thought, and his mind refused to stop thinking about the boy even when he slept, conjuring the dirtiest dreams Makoto had ever experienced. The day when he fell into the pool in front of his whole class for staring at Haru, he decided that staying away from the boy was the best solution. As much as he cared for Haru, he was his student, and spending so much time with him had clearly begun to affect him.

     But the dirty dreams and the fantasizing weren’t the worst part. Over the last few weeks, after denying his physical attraction for Haru was no longer an option (he was absolutely gorgeous, after all, and as much as Makoto tried to hide it, he was a person with needs and urges), something else had begun to grow inside Makoto. It became obvious in the way his chest fluttered when he caught sight of Haru’s smile, and in the knots that formed in his stomach when the boy looked at him with those incredible eyes of his. It became obvious when he realized that he couldn’t stop himself from putting his arms around the boy at the minimal sign of vulnerability he discovered in Haru’s gaze. And it became _painfully_ obvious every time he found himself thinking about Haru’s lips, wondering if they’d be as soft as they looked.

     Makoto had fallen in love with Haru, and he could no longer deny it.

     That’s why he had decided to distance himself from the boy, at least until he could sort out his feelings, and return to the relationship they shared before. But that only made matters worse.

     Makoto found himself missing Haru _all the time._ He had to fight off the urge to answer his texts, or go to the boy’s house and hug him for hours. Every little thing he did reminded him of endless blue eyes, especially the little dolphin keychain that he couldn’t bring himself to detach from his other keys.

     That’s why, while recounting the last two weeks in his head as he got changed after class, Makoto reached the conclusion that he was a complete imbecile.

     He always had to wait until all of his students left the changing rooms to use them, but that gave him a little bit of privacy to accomplish his daily round of self-loathing. Makoto put on his coat and grabbed his bag, ready to leave the room, when a familiar voice reached his ears.

     “Makoto!”

     His heart dropped to his feet, his breath caught in his throat, his entire body froze, and his mind entered panic mode, all in one single instant. Makoto slowly turned around to face Haru, who was standing on the doorway. He was convinced everyone had left already, so seeing the boy was the last thing he was expecting.

     “N-Nanase-kun,” Makoto chocked out, forcing a smile on his lips. “Can I help you?”

     Haru frowned at him, not bothering to mask his emotions like he so often did “Why are you calling me that?” he asked, taking a step towards Makoto “There’s no one around. You can call me ‘Haru’”

     Makoto opened his mouth to answer, but quickly closed it again, unable to find an answer. He looked down at his feet, avoiding Haru’s eyes. He couldn’t bear to look into that familiar blue, so tinted with annoyance and confusion.

     “You’ve been acting strange lately.” Haru broke the silence again. “Did I do something wrong?”

     “No, you didn’t…” Makoto mumbled, wishing with all his heart that the boy turned around and left, that he finally realized how much of an idiot he was. He wasn’t ready to face Haru, he wasn’t ready to look into his eyes again, and he definitely wasn’t ready to see the upset expression on his face, knowing he was the reason behind it. _“Please, Haru”_ he mentally begged _“Please, just go…”_

     “Then why!?” Makoto heard Haru’s approaching footsteps, and he teared his eyes from the floor to finally meet his blue orbs. Just like he expected, he wasn’t ready for the evident misery he found in the boy’s face. “Why are you ignoring me!?”

     “Because I can’t bear being near you!” Makoto shouted, no longer able to restrain himself. Haru took a step back, clearly surprised at the man’s sudden outburst.

     “What do you mean?” he asked, his frown deepening.

     “I mean exactly that, Haruka! I can’t be around you anymore!”

     Haru gasped, all trace of any previous emotion disappearing from himself, and leaving way to hurt. Makoto knew exactly why: for the first time in ten years, he had called the boy “Haruka”. It felt like poison in his mouth, that simple word that had, in an instant, built an iron wall between the two of them.

     “Makoto…”

     “I’m your teacher, and you’re my student! Nothing else!”

     _“No, that’s not true…”_ Makoto thought, but the words continued to leave his mouth, sour and distant.

     “That’s it. That’s all we are. Nothing else.”

     Makoto’s words fell from his mouth and hit the floor between them, heavy as concrete. Haru’s eyes widened, their endless blue ripping a hole into Makoto’s chest. The boy took a step back, looking at him like he had suddenly become unrecognizable.

     “You-” Haru mumbled, but his voice broke before he could say anything else.

     Makoto opened his mouth to speak again, but his words died in his throat when he saw tears welling up in Haru’s eyes. Suddenly, his world stopped, the weight of what he had just said finally catching up to him. And when the first tear ran down Haru’s cheek, everything came crashing down around him.

     “Haru, I-” he started, but the boy interrupted him.

     “I get it,” Haru’s voice was cold and hard, and almost as heavy as the words that were lying on the floor between them. The boy looked down at his feet, hiding his tears. “I won’t bother you again”.

     “Haru, no, wait!” Makoto walked towards him, but the boy was already running out the door.

     Silence took over the changing room, and Makoto had never, in his entire life, felt so alone. And so incredibly, undeniably stupid.

~•~

_“I’m your teacher! And you’re my student.”_

     Haru gritted his teeth, the sizzling sound of the mackerel he was cooking faintly reaching his ears. The boy absently flipped it over, hearing Makoto’s words over and over again inside his head.

_“That’s it. That’s all we are. Nothing else.”_

     “Nothing else…” Haru mumbled. He felt tears rushing to his eyes again, and he quickly blinked them away. He had already cried enough. He had cried all the way to his house, he had cried while he bathed, and he had cried on his bed, until hunger made him get up to cook dinner.

     The boy turned off the stove and took off his apron before grabbing his cell phone to check the time. He froze when he unlocked his screen, and saw the background picture he had set a few weeks ago. It was one of the pictures Makoto had sent him. The light-haired man was staring at the camera, along with Misha, who was elegantly perched on top of his shoulder. Haru looked at Makoto’s green eyes, and his warm smile, and his stomach twisted painfully. All of sudden, Haru was hit with an old memory, form one of the days he had spent with Makoto when he was a child.

 _“Will you be my friend forever?”_ Haru had asked on the second day of the third summer, floating in the pool next to Makoto.

 _“Of course!”_ Makoto’s answer had been quick, and it was accompanied by a reassuring smile. _“I will always remember you, Haru”_ _._

   Haru had looked at him for a moment, before deciding that he would never, ever forget Makoto either. But he didn’t tell him that. Instead, he had opted for closing his eyes, and letting the water carry him around the pool, until Makoto started a short-lived water fight that ended immediately with an unamused glare from the dark-haired boy.

     Haru stared at the picture for a few moments, hearing Makoto’s words clearly inside his mind, hearing his voice, promising he would always remember him.

     Before he could register what he was doing, the boy was grabbing his keys and running out the door, his dinner forgotten inside its pan.

~•~

     Makoto stared at the ceiling, absently petting Misha. The cat was sleeping deeply on top of his stomach, curled up into a little ball.

     “Daddy is a dumbass, you know,” Makoto said out loud. The kitten woke up and blinked sleepily at him. “He made Haru cry.”

     _“I made Haru cry,”_ he thought, a deep frown immediately taking over his face. Misha jumped down from his stomach, and Makoto immediately missed the cat’s warmth. Now he was alone with his regrets, his memories of blue eyes filled with tears, and the lump that was forming in his throat. He finally teared his eyes from the ceiling to look at his nightstand. Makoto’s breath hitched when his eyes landed of the tiny rubber dolphin that adorned his keys.

     Makoto sat on his bed and reached out to grab it. He stared at it, softly caressing with his thumb.

     _“I want you to have it…”_ Haru had mumbled so many years ago, looking down at his toes, and trying to hide his reddened cheeks behind his bangs.

    _“Thanks, Haru,”_ Makoto had said after a few moments.  _“I’ll take care of it. I promise.”_

Makoto kept looking at the tiny dolphin. Suddenly, he let out a low groan, grabbing at this face with both hands.

     “God dammit!” he yelled, before getting up to run out the door and out of his apartment, clutching Haru’s gift in his right hand.

~•~

     Haru had never run so fast in his entire life. Despite that, he felt like the small distance that separated his house from Makoto’s had suddenly became infinite. But it didn’t matter. He would run to the end of the world and back, if it meant getting to see Makoto’s eyes, and hearing him laugh.

      And maybe he was running too fast, because he was having visions. There was no way Makoto was running towards him, face flushed and haired tousled. But there he was, and he was screaming his name, Haru realized when they were about half a block away from each other.

     “Haru!”

     “Makoto!”

     “Haru!” Makoto kept calling his name. When they were only a few meters away, the man stretched out his arms, letting the boy crash into his chest, and holding him tightly against his chest. They stayed like that for a minute or two, as they tried to regain control of their breathing. Makoto was the first one to speak. “Haru, why are you…?”

      “Makoto!” Haru interrupted him, breaking the embrace. His eyes met wide, green ones. The boy felt his chest raising and falling rapidly, and his heart beating with enough force to make him feel slightly dizzy. Or maybe it was the way that Makoto smelled, so sweet and wonderful, and overwhelming enough to make his head spin.

      _“What are you gonna do about it?”_ Rin had asked. Only now, Haru finally _knew_ what to do about it. Without tearing his eyes from Makoto’s, the boy took a deep breath, his hands balling into fists.

     “I love you, Makoto!” he exclaimed. He watched as the man’s eyes grew wider, and took a step forward, his face just inches away from Makoto’s “And I think I’ve loved you ever since the first time I saw you. I’ve loved you since you came to me that day at the Centre, and I’ve never stopped loving you. And I never will” Haru said. He had never been more convinced of anything: he would love Makoto until the day he died.

     “I love you, and I want to spend every day of my life with you. I want to kiss you, and hold you, and wake every morning right next to you. Because I love you, Makoto, I love you more than I love being in the water, more than every summer we’ve spent together, more than _anything._ ” The boy breathed heavily, and smiled at Makoto for a moment, appreciating the blush in the man’s cheeks, and the depth of his perfect green eyes, before finishing his confession with a final. “I love you.”

      And suddenly, Makoto’s lips were on his, kissing him breathless. He was holding his cheeks, while he kissed him with such raw passion, and adoration, and _love,_ that Haru would’ve cried right then if he wasn’t too busy kissing him back, reveling in the feeling of his lips, so warm, so soft, so _perfect._ They parted for a moment to regain their breathing, before crashing their mouths together again. This kiss was deeper, harder, and even better than the first one.

     “I love you too, Haru,” Makoto whispered against his lips. Haru opened his eyes slowly, just in time to see the tears welling up in Makoto’s eyes. “I love you, I do. I love your eyes, I love your hair, I love the look on your face when you’re swimming… I just love you so much.” Makoto let go of the boy’s cheeks to wrap his arms around him, one hand finding his dark locks like he had done so many times before. Haru let himself melt inside Makoto’s arms, placing his hands on his strong back, and breathing in deeply, wishing he never had to let go. He wanted to stay that way forever, warm and protected, inside the arms of the man he loved.

     “And I’m so, so sorry,” Makoto continued, burying his face in the crook of Haru’s neck. “I’m sorry for what I said today. It’s just-”

     “I know,” Haru said, giving him a reassuring squeeze. He shifted his face to look at Makoto before kissing him softly. This time, they took the time to enjoy each other’s lips, to breathe in the other’s familiar smell, and to try to convey everything they were feeling: love, passion, lust, and the strong wish to never, _ever_ be apart again.

     After they parted, slowly and delicately, Makoto grinned widely for a moment, and then grabbed Haru’s face in his hands again, in order to leave soft, tiny kisses all over the boy’s face.

      “Makoto!” Haru whined, scrunching up his nose. He didn’t put up much of a fight, however.

      “But you’re so beautiful, I can’t help myself!” Makoto said, accentuating every word with a peck on Haru’s lips. The dark-haired boy chuckled, placing his hands on top of Makoto’s. “See? You laughed!”

     Haru pressed his forehead against Makoto’s, and closed his eyes. For the first time in months, he didn’t mind that his heart was about to burst out of his chest. He didn’t bother to hide the deep blush that covered his face, and he couldn’t care less about the uneven rhythm of his breathing. All Haru cared about was Makoto, and his hands on his cheeks, his brown hair tickling his face, his hot breath mixing in with his own…

     “I love you, Haru,” Makoto whispered, drawing circles on the boy’s cheeks with his thumbs.

     “I love you too, Makoto,” Haru whispered back, earning another loving kiss.

     Right then, as they stood in the middle that deserted street, foreheads pressed together and hearts beating contently, Haru thought to himself that he wouldn’t trade that moment for nothing. Not even for an infinity of summers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope all of you had wonderful holidays! :) This chapter took a little longer than usual, buuuut it's a little bit longer! I was planning on ending it right after their fight, but that would've been terribly mean of me!
> 
> I want to thank you all for your comments and kudos. You're wonderful people, and you give me all the motivation I need to keep writing <3 A̶l̶s̶o̶,̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶k̶ ̶E̶d̶ ̶S̶h̶e̶e̶r̶a̶n̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶r̶i̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶'̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶a̶ ̶M̶e̶s̶s̶'̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶w̶r̶i̶t̶e̶r̶'̶s̶ ̶b̶l̶o̶c̶k̶.
> 
> There's only one chapter left, maybe two. Once again, thank you for your support! :D


	8. Chapter 8

     After another round of passionate kissing, Haru finally gathered the courage to let out a whispered _“We should go to your house,”_ against Makoto’s lips. The boy could easily hear the man’s breath hitch, before he pecked him on the mouth, and nodded softly.

     They walked to Makoto’s apartment hand in hand, occasionally stopping to steal kisses against lamp posts or walls, almost always ending with a whispered _“I love you,”_ from either one of them. They refused to let go of each other’s hands; now that they could finally intertwine their fingers, and feel the warmth of their joined hands spread across their entire bodies, letting go was the last thing they wanted to do.

     Once they reached the apartment, Makoto opened the door with trembling hands, under Haru’s impatient gaze. He hadn’t even closed the door behind them, when the dark-haired boy was already kissing him again, pushing him against the wall with uncharacteristic roughness. Makoto responded by running his hands down Haru’s back, squeezing lightly when he got to his hips. The tips of his fingers found warm skin under Haru’s shirt, and the boy shivered at the contact.

     Makoto smirked for a moment, before running his hands up Haru’s back, and under his shirt, relishing in the way the boy sighed shakily, and noticing how his fingers left a trail of goose bumps on his skin.

     “Makoto…” Haru nearly _whimpered_ , and Makoto was kissing him again not even a second later.

     Their lips slid together with incredible ease, as if that wasn’t the first time they kissed. For the first time that night, Makoto felt Haru’s tongue timidly poking at his lips, and he quickly parted them to meet the boy halfway. Haru was shy at first, but he quickly gained enough confidence to push gently inside Makoto’s inviting mouth, and take control of the kiss. Their tongues danced together for a few moments, before Makoto bit lightly on Haru’s bottom lip, eliciting a tiny moan from the raven. Makoto was not only pleasantly surprised by the boy’s eagerness, but also very aroused. Almost painfully so.

     “Haru, we should stop…” he said, breaking the kiss.

     “Why?” Haru actually looked offended under the dim light that the moon offered through the window. Makoto had to force himself to look away from the boy’s kiss-swollen lips to answer his question.

     “This… You…” Makoto sighed, grabbing Haru’s cheeks tenderly. “You’re just too beautiful, and sexy, and _hot._ ” Makoto didn’t miss the way the boy’s cheeks turned pink at his words. “And I don’t think I’m going to be able to control myself if you keep kissing me like that.”

     Haru didn’t answer, and Makoto was beginning to fear that he had offended him, when the raven’s soft voice reached his ears in a whisper.

     “But I don’t want you to control yourself, Makoto…”

     They gazed into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, before Makoto leaned down to grab Haru, and place him over his shoulder. The boy nearly squealed in surprise, and then began to struggle under Makoto’s strong arm.

     “Makoto, put me down!” Haru demanded when the older man began to walk towards his bedroom, nearly stepping on a very offended Misha on his way across the living room.

     “I’m sorry, Haru, I just can’t control myself!” Makoto said, barely holding back his laughter.

     Haru sighed, and gave up just as they entered the bedroom.

     “I hate you,” he mumbled, fighting back a smile.

     “Nah, you love me” Makoto said, carefully placing Haru on the bed before climbing on top of him, holding himself up on his hands and knees to hover over the boy. “And I love you,” Makoto finished, before diving in for a kiss.

     Haru couldn’t help but smile, as he wrapped his arms around Makoto’s neck, and kissed him back softly. He jumped a little when he felt strong hands slipping under his shirt again, but then sighed softly into the kiss and relaxed, focusing on the sensation of being touched by Makoto. His hands were slightly calloused, but his touches were soft, slow, and deliberate, almost as if he wanted to memorize every inch of Haru’s skin.

     While Makoto’s hands caressed the boy’s taut torso, the man paid especial attention to the way Haru’s muscles shifted under smooth extensions of skin. He parted from Haru’s lips, and stared directly into his eyes for a moment. The endless blue he found in the boy’s gaze was filled with something tender and soft, much like the first kisses they had shared. But there was also something unfamiliar, dense and dark, that Makoto had never seen in Haru’s eyes before. Something that looked a lot like lust.

     Pressing another tiny kiss against the raven’s lips, Makoto shifted down to bite on Haru’s earlobe lightly, eliciting a tiny moan from the boy. Haru pressed the side of his face against the pillow, blushing deeply, and Makoto took the opportunity to lean down and leave small, wet kisses all over his neck.

     “Makoto…” Haru whispered, arching his back a little.

     “Haru…” Makoto said between kisses, making his way down the boy’s neck, until he found his collarbone. His hands traveled further upwards under Haru’s shirt, until he was pushing it up, over the boy’s head, to throw it on the ground and continue his ministrations.

     Makoto’s right hand found Haru’s left nipple. He ran his thumb over it, watching with fascination as it slowly became harder. Makoto leaned down to lick the tiny nub, and smirked with satisfaction when he heard the boy gasp sharply. Haru looked up at him, suddenly feeling incredibly vulnerable under the man’s attentions. Makoto hadn’t even bothered to turn on the lights, but the moonlight that came through the window was enough for him to be able see the gleam in those green eyes, darkened by lust.

     When Makoto tore his eyes off Haru’s to suck on his other nipple, the boy couldn’t hold back a broken moan, arching his back into Makoto’s mouth. Haru’s entire body felt hot and flustered, and the familiar hardness between his legs, still untouched, proved just how much he liked being touched by the light-haired man

     “Does it feel good?” Makoto’s uncharacteristically raspy voice did nothing to placate Haru’s arousal. Much the contrary, actually.

     “Yes,” Haru choked out, watching as Makoto’s tongue darted out from his mouth to lick at his nipple again. Then, the man moved his hand from Haru’s waist to pinch the other one. Another loud whimper escaped his lips, but Haru didn’t care about holding them in any longer. All he wanted was Makoto’s hands, his lips, and his entire body all over his own, touching him, licking him, ripping out those delicious whimpers and moans from his lips. “Makoto, please…”

     “Please what?” Makoto asked, looking up at the boy.

     “Touch me more…” Haru whispered, feeling the blush on his cheeks turn even darker than before.

     Makoto sat up on Haru’s lap, and took off his shirt with one swift movement. He looked down at the boy, taking in the rise and fall of his chest, the deep blush that covered his entire face, his dark locks scattered over the pillow, framing that beautiful face of his. And his eyes, those eyes that had always drove Makoto crazy. So deep, so endless, so breathtakingly gorgeous…

     Suddenly, Haru reached up to cup Makoto’s face with his hands, and pulled the man down to crush their lips in a rough kiss. They kissed sloppily, teeth clacking more than once as their tongues explored each other’s mouth. All of their previous tenderness had been forgotten, and replaced with implacable desire. Their hands danced around their bodies, exploring, touching, and grabbing desperately on everything they could reach. Makoto buried his hands in the soft hair that covered the back of Haru’s neck, and pulled his head back to bite and suck on his neck, earning a string of moans, and a whispered _“God, Makoto!”_ that went straight to his dick, already painfully hard.

     Makoto left a last kiss on Haru’s skin, right on the pointy tip of his collarbone, before reaching down between their bodies to grab at the zipper of the boy’s pants with his right hand. He could feel how hard Haru was, and that only made his own arousal grow stronger. Makoto stopped for a moment to look at the boy, who returned his gaze without hesitation.

     “Is this okay, Haru?” Makoto asked, caressing Haru’s cheek with the back of his free hand. “Do you want me to stop?”

     “No, don’t stop!” Haru answered immediately, pushing himself up to rest his weight on his elbows. “Please…” he added a moment later, blushing profoundly at his own eagerness.

     Makoto chuckled, and kissed him on the lips. Without breaking the kiss, he slowly pushed the boy back into the mattress, cupping the back of his head with one hand, and unzipping his pants with the other. Makoto finally broke the kiss to kneel between Haru’s legs, and pull on the boy’s pants to take them off. He paused for a moment to admire the dark-haired boy’s expression (a little bit embarrassed, but also very excited), and finally, he hooked his fingers under the elastic of Haru’s boxers to slide them slowly down his legs, touching them as much as he could in the process.

     Once Haru was entirely naked in front of him, Makoto had to fight the urge to do all sorts of things to him, if only to hear him moan and cry out his name. Instead, Makoto settled for caressing Haru’s lower abdomen, before slowly running his index finger down the raven’s erection, watching as his lips parted in surprise.

     “You’re so beautiful, Haru,” Makoto said, leaning forward to place his hand on his lover’s cheek, and run his thumb over his lower lip.

     Haru closed his eyes and nuzzled Makoto’s hand, before looking up at him through heavily lidded eyes. His gaze traveled all the way down from Makoto’s face, until his eyes landed on the evident bulge in the front of the man’s pants.

     “Oh, right!” Makoto said, quickly unbuckling his belt. Haru sat up to help him take off his pants, dragging his underwear down, too. Makoto hissed when his erection was finally freed from his boxers, only then realizing just how much his body ached for release. Haru’s eyes immediately widened at the sight of Makoto’s hardness.

     “Is something wrong, Haru?” Makoto asked, concern evident in his features.

     “It’s huge…” Haru whispered, seemingly unable to tear his plate-sized eyes from Makoto’s dick.

     Makoto immediately blushed to the tips of his ears, and promptly covered his face with his hands.

     “D-Don’t say things like that all of sudden!”

     Makoto’s breath hitched when he felt one of Haru’s hands stroking his dick. He uncovered his face to look at the boy, but he seemed to be extremely concentrated on what he was doing. If he hadn’t been so impossible turned-on, Makoto would’ve thought that Haru looked adorable with that tiny frown on his face, as he moved his hand up and down his shaft. But right then, when the feel of the boy’s hand stroking him was sending chills all over his body, Makoto could only think about how incredibly hot Haru was.

     Their lips met once again, tongues effortlessly finding their way inside each other’s mouth. Makoto wrapped his arms around Haru’s waist, and pushed him back so that they fell on the mattress. Without breaking the kiss, he ground down his hips against Haru’s, and they both shivered at the sensation of their flesh sliding together.

     “Do you like that?” Makoto whispered against Haru’s lips, and the boy nodded quickly.

     “Do it again…”

     Makoto complied, grinding down with a little more force than before. Haru buried his fingers in light-brown locks, and let out a moan. The next time Makoto moved his hips, the boy moved with him in an upwards motion, and they both whimpered softly when their erections rubbed together. They kept moving together, wrapped in each other’s arms, and losing themselves to the sensations that flowed through their bodies.

     After a particularly rough thrust from Makoto, Haru wrapped his arms around the man’s shoulders, and turned them around on the bed so he was lying on top. Makoto was momentarily surprised by the boy’s strength, but then every though vanished from his mind as soon as Haru started moving on top of him.

     Makoto ran his hands down the raven’s back, and then grabbed his round, perfect ass with both hands. They both moaned when Makoto pushed him down, and ground his hips upwards to meet Haru’s thrusts. The man’s fingers dug deeper into Haru’s flesh, and the raven was beginning to see stars under his closed eyelids.

     Suddenly, Makoto sat up, still holding Haru’s buttocks. The boy wrapped his legs around Makoto’s hips, and buried his hands in his hair, before effortlessly finding his lips to kiss him wetly. They continued to move against each other, until one of Makoto moved his hand to grab both of their cocks together, increasing the friction in a deliriously delicious way.

     “Makoto!” Haru cried out, throwing his head back, and speeding up the pace of his hips.

     “Haru…” Makoto whispered in response, burying his face in the crook of the boy’s neck. Haru continued to moan and whimper, grabbing onto Makoto’s shoulders. The older man was surprised by how _vocal_ Haru was being, and mentally thanked whichever god was responsible for the boy’s delightful voice.

     Haru knew he was being loud, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was the delicious friction of his dick sliding against Makoto’s, the way they were both slick with precum by now, the feeling of Makoto’s hot breath against his neck, and the way the man whispered his name over and over…

     “Makoto… I’m gonna…” Haru choked out, digging his fingernails into Makoto’s shoulders.

     “Me too, Haru…”

     Haru came first, crying out Makoto’s name, and Makoto followed after not even two second later, both shooting white strings of cum that landed on their torsos, and on the hand that joined them together. They didn’t move for a few minutes, wrapped up in each other’s warmth and breathing in each other’s smell, until Makoto leaned back to brush away Haru’s dark locks from the boy’s sweaty face.

     “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, pressing their foreheads together.

     “You already said that…” Haru mumbled, and a light blush spread across his cheeks.

     “Because I can help thinking about it every time I look at you.”

     Haru let a soft smile take over his lips, and closed his eyes, basking momentarily in Makoto’s warmth.

     “You’re beautiful too” he said after a moment.

     Makoto slowly disentangled himself from the boy’s embrace to grab his shirt from the floor, and wipe their torsos clean before throwing it at the laundry basket. They both lied down on the mattress, and resumed their embrace after Makoto covered them with the blankets.

     “That was pretty amazing,” Haru mumbled, absently drawing patterns on Makoto’s chest with his index finger. When the man hadn’t answer after a while, the dark-haired boy looked up, only to find that all traces of color had left Makoto’s face. “Makoto?”

     “Haru…” the older man whispered with a pained expression.

     “You’re scaring me,” Haru said, frowning.

     “I slept with one of my students,” Makoto mumbled, turning around to lie on his back. “I’m the worst…”

     “Makoto, stop.” Haru sat up a little on the bed. “There’s nothing wrong with that… And it was the perfect first time.”

     “It was highly unethical and-It was your first time!?” Makoto exclaimed, snapping his head to look at the boy. Haru nodded, frowning a little, because, _obviously it was._ “Oh, my GOD, Haru, I’m the worst!”

     “No, you’re not.” Haru sighed, and rested his head on Makoto’s chest. “I just told you it was perfect, didn’t I?”

     Makoto was silent for a few moments, and then smiled thoughtfully.

     “It was,” he agreed, turning around to lie sideways and face Haru.

     They stared at each other, breathing calmly, and feeling more at ease than ever. Makoto was about to fall asleep, when Haru’s voice reached his ears.

     “Let’s do it again.”

     “We should probably go to sleep,” Makoto said, fighting back a smile.  _“He really_ is _eager”_ , he thought, surprised to find out that maybe there was something that Haru could’ve eventually grow to like as much as water. “We have classes in the morning,” he continued, caressing the boy’s cheek tenderly. “And we need to stop at your apartment so you can grab your bag and change, so we need to get up early.”

     “Okay,” Haru mumbled, doing nothing to hide his disappointment.

     Makoto wrapped his arms around the boy, and Haru snuggled himself up against the man’s broad chest. They stayed like that, cocooned in their shared warmth under the blankets, until Haru spoke up again.

     “Makoto…”

     “Mmm?” is all that Makoto managed, already half-asleep.

     “I’m hungry.”

~•~

     “I think I only have cup ramen…” Makoto said, looking at Haru from over his shoulder. The boy shrugged, and then nodded. Makoto stared at him for a few more moments, appreciating the sight of Haru clad in nothing but boxers, and his favorite red flannel shirt. It’s not like Makoto had wanted to see the boy in one of his shirts (clearly too big for his smaller frame). He had only offered it to him because Haru’s shirt didn’t look warm enough, and Makoto didn’t want him to catch a cold. That had definitely been the reason.

      “I was gonna go to the grocery store earlier,” Makoto said, grabbing two cups of instant ramen from one of the cabinets. “But after we fought, I kinda, you know… Didn’t really want to do anything.”

      Makoto was filling the cups with water, when he felt Haru’s timid hands wrapping around his waist to hug him from behind.

      “I never want us to fight again,” the boy mumbled, pressing his forehead against Makoto’s strong back.

      “Me neither,” the man agreed. He placed the ramen cups on the counter, and then turned around to hold Haru against his chest, caressing his dark locks with his right hand. “Haru, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean anything of the things I said in the locker rooms-”

     “You already apologized,” Haru cut him off, looking up to meet his eyes. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t.”

     Makoto placed a tiny kiss on the top of the boy’s head, and then broke the embrace to place the cups inside the microwave. Even when Haru had already assured him that he was forgiven for the things he had said earlier, Makoto still felt terrible. So, after pressing the stat button on the microwave and turning around to smile at Haru, Makoto mentally promised to himself to never make the boy cry again.

     “Makoto,” Haru mumbled, snapping him out of his thoughts. He fiddled with the hem of the shirt for a moment before speaking up again. “What are we going to do now?”

     Makoto sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew they had to have that conversation eventually, but he still didn’t want to think about it.

     “Well…” he started, leaning back on the counter. “We’re halfway through the school year, so we’ll have to keep this a secret.”

     Contrary to what Makoto was expecting, Haru looked at him with evident excitement shining inside his blue eyes.

     “So, you still want to do… this?” the boy asked, voice trembling slightly.

     “Of course I do!” Makoto walked over to Haru, and grabbed his face with both hands. He stared into those blue eyes he adored so much, and tried to convey all his love with the most sincere look he could manage. “I already told you that I love you, didn’t I?” Haru blinked slowly, and then nodded. Makoto leaned in to kiss him tenderly. “And even if I wanted to stop,” he said when they parted, rubbing circles on Haru’s cheek with his thumb. “I don’t think I could.”

     Those words finally managed to make Haru smile. The microwave beeped, ending the lovers’ small moment of intimacy. Makoto kissed Haru’s forehead before turning around to take their food out of the microwave.

     “But like I said, we’re gonna need to be _very_ discreet about it,” he continued. “We’re still teacher and student.”

     “I know,” Haru said, grabbing his ramen from Makoto’s hands, and walking over to the table.

     “You’re probably going to have another teacher next year, so I think we’ll be okay after that,” Makoto said, sitting down next to the boy, and handing him his chopsticks.

     “So… are we… boyfriends?” Haru asked after a few moments, staring at his food to try and hide his very evident blush.

     “I guess we are!” Makoto answered, grinning widely at him.

     Haru ducked his head a little, his blush deepening. Makoto chuckled, and watched as the boy played with his noodles, too embarrassed to say anything else.

 _“He’s too adorable,”_ he thought, reaching out to tuck a strand of black hair behind Haru’s ear.

~•~

    Haru waited impatiently on his side of the line, waiting for Rin to pick up the phone. Suddenly, the redhead’s loud voice ran from the other side of the line.

     “Hey, little Lolita!”

     Haru sighed. He didn’t have time for this.

     “Rin, shut up and don’t say anything for a while.”

     Much to Haru’s surprise, his friend was silent. He waited for a moment to confirm Rin’s willingness to keep his mouth shut, before finally speaking up again.

     “I told Makoto that I love him.” Once again, Rin’s voice was surprisingly absent from the conversation. “And he told me that he loves me too. So now we’re dating,” Haru finished, heart beating loudly when he remembered everything that had happened the night before.

     Even after hearing that, Rin still refused to make himself vocally present in the conversation. Haru sighed, annoyed.

     “You can talk now, Rin.”

     “Oh, my fucking God!” Rin yelled. Now _tha_ t was the response Haru had been expecting. “Oh, man, are you serious?”

     “Yes.”

     “Haru, that’s great!” Rin sounded _ecstatic_ , and the excitement in his friend’s voice almost made Haru smile. He was about to thank him, when the redhead spoke again “So, you’re no longer a virgin?”

     “No! Well yes… I mean, we did some stuff- I don’t wanna talk about this with you!” Haru exclaimed. Not even three minutes had passed, and Rin had already managed to Haru want to punch him in the face.

     Haru heard sniffling from the other side of the line, and wondered for a moment if he had actually made Rin cry. He was about to ask him if he was okay, but then he heard the redhead’s voice again.

     “They grow up so fast! One moment you think they’re exclusively attracted to water, and the next they’re doing ‘stuff’ with their college teacher!”

     “I hate you so much,” Haru deadpanned, wishing there was a sudden shortage of toilet paper in Australia when he heard Rin laughing loudly.

 ~•~

     “You’re probably wondering why I asked you to come to my house today-”

     “Are we going to form a group of crime-fighting superheroes?”

     “No.”

     “You found out Misha-nyan is actually a girl and now you feel like you failed as a parent for thinking she was a boy and want our advice?”

     “No.”

     “Have you decided to pursue your childhood dream and become a firefighter?”

     “No.”

     “I know, I know! Are we going to form a group of crime-fighting firefighters?”

     “Nagisa, please let Makoto-senpai finish.”

     “Thanks, Rei.”

     Makoto sighed, and ran a hand through his hair, like he often did when he was nervous. Rei and Nagisa exchanged knowing glances, before the blond reached out over the table to grab Makoto’s hand.

     “Mako-chan, you know you can tell us anything!” he reassured the taller man, giving one of his trademark smiles.

     “Thanks, Nagisa,” Makoto squeezed his friend’s hand, and smiled warmly at him, before his expression turned serious again. “You guys are my best friends, and we’ve known each other for years. So, I really want to tell you something. Something very important.”

     Nagisa and Rei nodded at the same time, and Makoto took a moment to appreciate his friends’ strange synchronization, before taking a deep breath.

     “Haru and I are dating,” he blurted out.

     “HAH! I knew it!” Nagisa exclaimed, hitting the table with his fist, and standing up to point at Makoto, who jumped a little on his chair. “You owe me a piece of strawberry cake, Rei-chan!”

     “I know, I know,” Rei sighed, adjusting his glasses. “I honestly thought they were going to wait a little longer…”

     “Wait, what!?” Makoto exclaimed, looking back and forth between Nagisa and Rei. He was absolutely _flabbergasted._ “Rei, aren’t you mad at me!?”

     “Why would I be, Makoto-senpai?” Rei asked, frowning a little.

     “Because…” Makoto stammered for a moment. “It is highly unethical for me to be romantically involved with a student?”

     “Well, you’ve known Haruka-kun for a long time, and honestly, we both knew it was going to happen eventually,” Rei said, while Nagisa nodded along. “Besides, although I hate to admit it, Nagisa was right.” Ignoring an indignant _“Hey!”_ from his boyfriend, Rei kept talking. “Haruka-kun is an adult, and he can do as he pleases.”

     “That’s true, but…” Makoto said, frowning. He definitely hadn’t expected such a calm reaction from Rei.

     “Don’t get me wrong!” the bespectacled man said, waving his hands in front of his chest. “I do believe that relationships between teachers and students are ethically incorrect but…” Rei smiled at Makoto, his eyes full of friendly affection. “This is Makoto-senpai we’re talking about. I’m completely sure that you feel nothing more but the purest of loves for Haruka-kun.”

     “I do,” Makoto said, returning his friend’s smile “Thank you, Rei.”

     “So, is your love still _the purest_ , Mako-chan?” Nagisa chimed in, suggestively wriggling his eyebrows, and destroying the room’s warm atmosphere in less than ten words.

     “NAGISA!” Makoto and Rei exclaimed at the same time, both turning red to the tips of their ears.

~•~

     Three weeks had passed since Haru and Makoto had confessed their love to each other. Three of the best weeks of their lives.

     None of Haru’s classmates, or Makoto’s coworkers suspected a thing. They made sure to keep their distance during classes, addressing each other respectfully, and putting up the perfect teacher-student façade. But after everyone left, they went together to Makoto’s apartment, and sometimes to Haru’s, where they’d spend the afternoon watching movies (Makoto often had to spend the entire train ride convincing Haru to watch yet another Disney movie with him), cuddling, cooking together, and doing silly couple stuff that Haru secretly enjoyed, and Makoto openly cherished.

     And, more often than not, they spent the night together, stealing kisses that soon became hot enough to leave them panting, and exploring each other’s bodies with eager hands and mouths, diving into every recondite place they could find, and doing their best to make the other moan and whimper.

     During their nightly explorations, Makoto had found out that Haru’s eagerness had helped the boy acquire a new set of skills that he didn’t hesitate to put to good use every time he could. Despite being the most experienced one of the two, Makoto often felt that Haru knew exactly how to be in control of the situation. And he couldn’t say he minded in the least.

     “Makoto.” Haru’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Makoto turned around to find the boy standing in the doorway of the changing rooms. “Are you ready?”

     “Haru!” Makoto greeted him, buttoning up his shirt to finish changing. “I was just thinking about you.”

     “And what were you thinking about?” Haru asked, walking over to stand in front of him.

     Makoto felt a light blush spreading across his cheeks, and looked away from Haru’s curious eyes.

     “Nothing important, really…” he mumbled, trying to drive his mind away from the dirty thoughts that insisted on staying right where they were.

     Suddenly, he felt Haru’s lips on his, and he wasted no time before kissing him back, placing his hands on the raven’s hips. Haru broke the kiss and breathed hotly against Makoto’s lips before leaning down to kiss the man’s neck.

     “Haru…” Makoto breathed out, and then jumped when he felt the boy’s hands slipping under his shirt. “What are you doing?”

     “Isn’t it obvious?” Haru asked, running his hands over the firm muscles of Makoto’s abdomen.

     “We can’t do that here!” Makoto said, grabbing the boy’s wrists, and earning an offended pout from him.

     “But I’ve been wanting to do this all day long,” Haru mumbled, still managing to slide his hands further up Makoto’s chest, despite the man’s grip on his wrists.

     “Me too, but-” Makoto interrupted himself to stop a moan from escaping his lips when Haru ran his thumbs over his nipples. “Not here!”

     Before Makoto could stop him, Haru kneeled down in front of him, grabbing onto his belt. The boy brushed his fingers against the growing bulge in the front of his boyfriend’s pants, and Makoto had to bite down another moan.

     “But you’re already getting hard,” Haru mumbled, running his tongue over his lower lip.

     “Of course I’ll get hard if you touch me and look at me like that!” Makoto said, closing his eyes to avoid seeing the irresistible picture of the raven licking his lips. “Haru, stop!” he exclaimed when he felt the boy’s hands unfastening his belt.

     Haru looked up at him, and Makoto nearly gasped, because he looked absolutely _delicious_. His pupils were dilated, making his blue eyes appear darker, and even deeper than usual. His hair was slightly tousled, and his lips looked irresistibly pink. And there was no denying that seeing Haru in that position, kneeling down and looking up at him with wide eyes and slightly parted lips, was quickly killing the last remains of Makoto’s resolve.

     “Do you really want me to stop?” the boy asked in a whisper.

     Before Makoto could stop himself, he was already whispering back a trembling _“no.”_

     Haru quickly finished unbuckling Makoto’s belt, and unzipping his pants. Delicately, he took out his boyfriend’s half-hard cock, and stroke it slowly, watching with curious eyes as Makoto shut his eyes closed, and bit his lower lip. The boy felt Makoto growing harder and harder in his hand, as he swiftly worked his way up and down the man’s shaft.

     “Haru-” Makoto began with a hoarse voice. But whatever he was going to say died at the back of his throat when Haru licked a long, wet stripe along the underside of his dick. Makoto gasped, and opened his eyes to stare at the boy. His gaze was met by big blue eyes that shone with a mischievous gleam.

     Haru closed his eyes, and took the head of Makoto’s cock inside his mouth, earning a shaky whimper from the taller man. Slowly, (painfully so, Makoto thought) the boy took him inch by inch inside his mouth, licking at the underside, and sucking gently. When the head of Makoto’s cock hit the back of his throat, Haru hummed softly, and a loud whimper escaped the light-haired man. Makoto had to resist the urge to grab the boy’s head and thrust forward, instead settling for balling his hands into fists against the wall behind him.

 _"When did he learn how to do that?”_ he thought.

     Every thought was wiped from Makoto’s mind when Haru began to inch back, always sucking and swirling his tongue. Once only the tip was inside his mouth, the raven looked up, and Makoto could’ve sworn he was smirking, before he began to quickly take him in and out, using one hand to cover what he couldn’t reach with his mouth.

     “Ah, Haru!” Makoto breathed out, throwing his head back, and hitting the wall with a soft _thump_.

     Haru kept bobbing his head at a steady rhythm, eventually pulling back to lick at the shaft, or swirl his tongue around the head of Makoto’s cock. It wasn’t long before Makoto was panting and moaning, slumped against the wall while Haru gave him the best blowjob of his life.

     “Haru, I’m going to…” he warned, taking a hold of the boy’s shoulders.

     But Haru kept going, speeding up his pace, and sucking with more force. Suddenly, Makoto was coming inside his mouth, shooting hot spurts of cum down his throat.

     When Makoto stopped moaning and trembling, Haru took his cock out of his mouth with a wet sound, and licked his lips, looking up at his boyfriend with half-lidded eyes. Makoto tried to even his breathing, running a hand through his hair.

     “Haru, did you…?” he began, but before he could finish, the boy opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, showing that he had, in fact, swallowed his cum.

     “You learn too fast, Haru…” Makoto choked out, collapsing against the wall. He closed his eyes, still trapped in a Haru-induced haze, and did his best to stand still on his wobbly knees.

     “Makoto,” Haru said, getting up from the floor, and looking straight into his hazy green eyes. “I want to go all the way tonight.”

     Like he often had to do when Haru said those kinds of things to him, Makoto had to resist the urge to undress the boy and have his way with him against the nearest wall.

     Instead, he settled for a quick nod, and a whispered _“okay”_ , still unable to form coherent thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the first time I wrote smut, I hope it doesn't suck... 
> 
> Okay, guys, only one chapter to go! I was planning on making a giant chapter, but I decided to split it in two. I'll try to update as soon as I can! :)
> 
> Come talk to me at allen-walkers on Tumblr!


	9. Chapter 9

     Makoto hadn’t realized he had been biting roughly on his lower lip, until Haru grabbed his hand, and shot him a concerned look. He did his best to offer a smile to the boy, and then leaned in to plant a small kiss on his forehead.

     “Makoto, don’t do that here!” Haru whined, looking from his seat at the sea of people that filled the train, and Makoto didn’t miss the way his cheeks turned slightly pink.

     “Why?” Makoto teased, smiling softly.

     “Everybody can see us!”

     “And?”

     “It’s embarrassing…” Haru mumbled.

     “But I want everybody to know that I love you, Haru,” Makoto said, planting tiny kisses on his boyfriend’s head, and humming softly at the pleasant smell of shampoo and chlorine that his dark locks gave off.

     “Stop it!” Haru hissed, his blush deepening into a wonderful shade of crimson.

     Makoto laughed heartily, earning an offended pout from Haru. He gave the boy the warmest smile he could muster, trying his best not to laugh at how adorable his glare was. Makoto had already found out that one smile from him was all it took for Haru to go from any degree of annoyance, to a neutral mode that made it simpler for Makoto to ask for forgiveness.

     And that time wasn’t the exception. Haru sighed, cheeks still reddened and hair tousled from his boyfriend’s kisses, and then rested his head on the taller man’s shoulder.

     “Sorry, Haru,” Makoto said, resting his cheek on the boy’s head “I won’t do it again.”

     “I know you will. You always embarrass me in public,” Haru mumbled, trying to sound offended, but instead sounding resigned.

     Makoto chuckled, and Haru couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across his face. They were silent until they got off the train (Haru immediately reaching out to interlace his fingers with Makoto’s, despite his previous complaints against PDA), and Makoto Haru’s voice barely reached him amongst the bustle of the crowded train station.

     “Makoto, is something wrong?”

     “Why do you ask?” Makoto asked when they stepped out, and into the street, hands still joined together.

     “You were biting your lip and touching your hair a lot just now,” Haru explained, looking at him with evident concern in his eyes.

     “I always do that, don’t I?” Makoto said with a smile, but the boy refused to take his inquisitive gaze off him. “I guess I’m just nervous…” he finally admitted.

     “Because of what I said in the locker rooms?”

     Makoto didn’t answer. Haru stopped walking, but didn’t let go of his hand, forcing the taller man to turn around and face him.

     “We don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” the boy said.

     “No, of course I do!” Makoto said, hurrying to close the distance between them. “It’s just…”

     Haru blinked at him, and then gave a reassuring squeeze to Makoto’s hand when the man stopped talking.

     “I’m nervous too” the boy said, locking his eyes with Makoto’s. “But I really want to do it. And I wouldn’t do it with anyone else.”

     It was funny how Haru managed to make Makoto feel light and weightless with so few words, how his sincerity filled the light-haired man with joy, and relieved all of his worries so easily. And the best part of it, was that the boy didn’t realize just how much his words eased and reassured him. Haru just voiced his thoughts, and that was enough for Makoto to feel happy and calm again.

     “I love you, you know that?” Makoto said with a warm smile.

     “I love you too,” Haru said, and then tugged at his boyfriend’s hand to keep walking. “Now let’s go home, I really want to take your clothes off.”

     “Haru!” Makoto exclaimed, and this time, he was the one blushing to the tip of his ears. When he caught sight of Haru’s tiny smile, Makoto knew that the boy’s revenge for the kissy attack he had undergone in the train had just begun.

  ~•~

     They didn’t say a word when they got to Makoto’s apartment. Both of them were shaking with nervousness, excitement, and something else, something that probably had a lot to do with the impossibly fast rhythm of their hearts, and the sound of their ragged breathing. Makoto turned on the bedside lamp this time, unlike most of the time, when they lost themselves into each other surrounded by darkness, only illuminated by the occasional ray of moonlight. But this time it was different, and they wanted to see each other.

     Once they were lying on the bed, facing each other, Makoto noticed the pinkness of Haru’s cheeks, and the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He leaned in to kiss him softly, wrapping his arms around the boy to hug him against his chest in an attempt to calm him down.

     “I love you, Haru,” he whispered, running his hands through his boyfriend’s dark locks, and looking him in the eye.

     “I love you too,” Haru whispered back, and then closed his eyes when Makoto kissed him again.

     It didn’t take long before the kiss became heated, and hands began to roam all over, skimming under shirts, and grabbing onto whatever they could find. Before he could even register it, Haru was lying under Makoto, with his hands buried in soft light brown hair, and his shirt already thrown on the floor on top of his boyfriend’s. He could feel his own arousal straining hard inside his pants when he ground his hips up against Makoto’s.

     “Mmm, Haru…” Makoto groaned into the kiss when Haru repeated the motion, this time with more force. Makoto’s grip on the boy’s hips tightened, and Haru could feel him shivering on top of him.

     The boy was about to repeat the movement, when Makoto broke the kiss to stare intently into his blue eyes.

     “Haru,” he said in a quiet voice, and the raven shifted, suddenly feeling nervous under the man’s intense gaze. “Is it okay if I top this time?”

     “I-I was expecting that you would…” Haru mumbled. “Since, you know, you’re more experienced and…”

     The boy interrupted himself when Makoto smiled, and then pressed one side of his face against the pillow, suddenly feeling incredibly embarrassed. Haru was trying to find the words to finish his sentence, when he felt Makoto’s hands sliding up his waist, his chest, and his neck, to finally rest on his cheeks. Haru turned his head to meet those green eyes he loved so much, and found in them nothing but a love so pure that it made his breath hitch.

     “Okay,” Makoto whispered, and then kissed him again, softly, carefully, almost reverently. Under his lover’s gentle hands and lips, Haru was no longer able to feel anything but sheer adoration.

     But when his boyfriend started to leave wet, open-mouthed kisses all over his neck and chest, Haru remembered just how hot his entire body felt, how much he yearned to be touched, how much he wanted to let Makoto explore him and worship him until he was teetering on the edge of consciousness, moaning, gasping, and writhing under his attentions.

     And once Makoto mouth was just about to reach the hem of Haru’s pants, he remembered exactly what he wanted: he wanted to feel Makoto inside him, big, and hard, and _hot,_ to feel thrusting into him, holding him close, and taking him closer and closer to the edge with every movement of his body. The sole thought of what they were about to do forced a tiny whimper from Haru’s kiss-swollen lips.

“Makoto, I want you so bad…” he whispered, watching as the older man unzipped his pants and slid them down his legs.

     “I want you too, baby,” Makoto said, kissing the inside of his thigh. Haru let out a broken moan, in part because of the way his lover’s lips left his skin tingling, and in part because he had really liked being called “baby”.

     Makoto kept kissing the sensitive skin of Haru’s leg, sliding up until he reached the hem of the boy’s underwear. He pulled the fabric down to uncover Haru’s erection, and the curled his finger around the pulsating shaft, stroking delicately. Haru threw his head back against the pillow, and gripped the blankets tightly when Makoto licked the slit, already wet with precum.

     “God, you’re so beautiful, Haru,” Makoto said, punctuating his words with another lick, and watching as the boy bit his lower lip to hold back a loud whimper, and closed his eyes at the overwhelming sensations.

     Haru’s eyes fluttered open when Makoto took the tip of his cock inside his mouth, sucking lightly, and stroking the shaft. He couldn’t stop the sharp moan that left his lips, as his hands shot up to tangle themselves in brown locks.

     “Do you like it when I do that?” Makoto asked, his hot breath caressing Haru’s heated skin. The boy nodded, and then swallowed loudly when Makoto licked his lips.

     With his green eyes fixed on Haru’s face, Makoto took him inside his mouth again, inching down at an excruciatingly slow pace. Once his nose hit Haru’s black pubes, Makoto slid his lips up until only the head of the raven’s cock was inside his mouth. His eyes were still trained on Haru’s flushed face when he began to bob his head at a rapid pace, eliciting a wonderful string of whimpers and groans from the raven’s lips. Then Makoto removed his mouth from his dick to lick swiftly at his butthole, and Haru arched his back up, crying out in pleasure.

     “Makoto, please!” he nearly shouted, fisting the sheets. “Please, I want you inside of me…”

     Makoto flicked his tongue against Haru’s puckered hole a couple more times, before the dark-haired boy sat up to crash their lips in a wet kiss. They stared at each other when they parted, and Makoto’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Haru’s face. He was so needy, so eager, so impossibly _hot_ , with his flushed cheeks and dark eyes, framed by dishevelled strands of raven hair. Makoto kissed him again, and pushed him back into the mattress before reaching out to open his bedside drawer.

     Haru watched as his boyfriend pulled out a small bottle of lube and a condom, and his breath hitched with anticipation. Makoto pushed the boy’s hair back to leave a tiny kiss on his forehead.

     “I’m gonna need you to relax, okay?” he whispered, and waited until Haru nodded to shift down and sit between the boy’s long legs.

     Makoto squeezed a considerable amount of lube into his index finger, and made sure the digit was entirely coated before pressing it lightly against Haru’s butthole.

     “Are you ready?” he asked, looking into his eyes.

     “Yes,” Haru rasped out, and then closed his eyes when he felt Makoto’s finger pushing inside him. It was a foreign sensation, but it wasn’t unwelcomed.

     “Haru,” Makoto’s gentle voice reached his ears, and the raven opened his eyes to lock his gaze with his boyfriend’s. “Are you okay?”

     Haru nodded slowly. Makoto caressed his abdomen, and pressed a kiss against the side of his knee, before he began to move his finger in and out, slowly, but steadily. Haru gasped at the new sensation, not entirely enjoyable, but not unpleasant, either.

     Makoto kept caressing the boy’s abdomen and chest, and leaving tiny kisses on his legs. Haru felt himself relaxing under his lover’s touch, and soon, one finger became two, and two became three.

     “You’re doing great, love,” Makoto reassured him, scissoring his fingers and sliding them in and out to stretch him further open. Haru let out a mewling sound at the pet name, and returned his boyfriend’s smile without hesitation. He was about to ask Makoto to call him “baby” or “love” again, when a shock of electrifying pleasure ran through his body.

     Haru’s entire body reacted at once: his toes curled, his legs twitched, his back arched, and his throat formed the most delicious moan that Makoto had ever heard. The boy searched for the older man’s eyes, silently asking for an explanation.

     “I guess I found it,” Makoto said with a smirk, curling up his fingers to press against Haru’s prostate again, and eliciting the same reaction as before.

     “Do-Do that again…” Haru choked out, and Makoto complied, watching with satisfaction as his boyfriend’s face contorted in an expression of absolute pleasure. “Makoto…” the raven nearly _purred_ , blue eyes darkened by arousal.

     “I know,” Makoto said, and slowly removed his fingers from Haru’s hole. He took off his pants and underwear as quick as he could, and then opened the shiny wrapper he had left on the mattress to carefully roll the condom down his cock.

     Haru watched him with the utmost attention, struggling to even his breathing. He already knew just how _big_ his boyfriend was, but while he watched Makoto coat himself with an exaggerated amount lube, Haru couldn’t help but wonder if it would really fit.

     Makoto seemed to notice his worry, because he immediately leaned down to kiss him tenderly.

     “We’ll take it slow, okay?” he said, pressing their foreheads together. “And you want to stop, just tell me, and I’ll stop.”

     Haru nodded, and immediately relaxed. He was okay. He was with Makoto, and Makoto would take care of him. _“I’m okay,”_ he assured himself, catching his boyfriend’s lips in another sweet kiss.

     Slowly, and only after getting permission from Haru, Makoto began to push the head of his dick inside the tight ring of muscle, hissing at the sensation of being surrounded by the boy’s engulfing warmth. He paused to look at Haru, who had his face scrunched up in pain, and hurried to kiss him again.

     “Do you want me to stop?” he asked, watching Haru’s face carefully. The raven shook his head, and opened his eyes to look at him.

     “I’m okay,” he said. Then, after a moment. “Can you call me…?”

     Makoto smiled, and brushed the tips of his fingers against Haru’s cheek.

     “What, baby?”

     “That…” Haru mumbled, blushing a little bit. He looked up to meet Makoto’s eyes again, and felt his entire body relaxing at the sight of his lover’s smiling face.

     He was definitely okay, as long as Makoto kept holding him, kissing him, and caring for him.

     It took a lot of adjusting, a lot of whispered _babys_ and _loves_ , and many reassuring kisses, but by the time Makoto’s cock was fully inside of him, Haru was already moaning and squirming.

     “Are you okay, Haru?” Makoto asked, moving his hands from the boy’s hips to grab his face.

     “You can move now,” was the boy’s answer.

     Makoto pulled out, slowly, and then carefully pushed back inside. A tiny whimper escaped Haru’s lips, and the light-haired man took it at his confirmation to do it again. Soon enough, the boy was clutching to Makoto’s back, letting out incoherent words and high-pitched moans.

     “Faster,” he whispered against the shell of Makoto’s ear, and the man almost shivered at the evident neediness in the boy’s voice.

     He complied, thrusting harder and faster into Haru’s tight heat. Both of them moaned and gasped together every time their bodies met, skin already covered in sweat.

     Haru had never imagined that making love with Makoto would’ve felt so good. He felt full, and hot, and once the pain receded and there was nothing but pleasure, he could’ve sworn he saw stars every time he felt Makoto’s cock sliding deep inside of him. With one hand buried in light brown hair, and the other clutching at Makoto’s back, Haru wrapped his legs around his lover’s waist, shivering when the waves of pleasure that shook his body increased in intensity at the change of angle.

     “Makoto, fuck!” the boy cried out when a particularly deep thrust hit the right spot.

     Makoto stilled all of sudden, and Haru opened his eyes to look at him. Before he could ask if anything was wrong, the taller man kissed him roughly, his lips full of a searing passion that sent chills down Haru’s spine. He broke the kiss with a wet sound, and then straightened his torso into a kneeling position. With his cock still buried deep inside of Haru. He grabbed the boy by the hips, and began to thrust into him with renewed force, hitting his prostate repeatedly, and ripping loud moans and whimpers from the raven’s kiss-swollen lips.

     “Makoto!” Haru cried out, reaching out over his head to grab onto the headboard. “Makoto, I’m gonna cum!”

     Without a word, Makoto took Haru’s neglected dick in his right hand, and pumped it twice before the boy came with a high-pitched moan, shooting white strings of cum that landed on his torso. Just the sight of Haru covered in his own cum, panting, and still quivering from his orgasm, was enough to send Makoto over the edge too. He was coming a few moments later, buried deep inside the boy.

     Makoto pressed his forehead against Haru’s shoulder, humming with content when the boy wrapped his arms around his back. Both of them struggled to even their breathing for a few minutes, and then Makoto slid himself out from Haru’s body. He removed the condom with trembling hands, and then tied it before throwing it in the trash bin next to the bedside.

     Haru watched him with half-lidded eyes, feeling too limp to even move. Makoto wiped their torsos with some tissues he had left on the bedside, before collapsing next to his boyfriend. Haru immediately curled up next to him, and the taller man hugged him against his chest.

     “That was _amazing,_ ” Haru mumbled, and Makoto hummed in agreement.

     “You’re amazing,” he said, brushing Haru’s sweat-dampened hair away from his forehead. “You did great, Haru.”

     Haru shook his head, and then looked up at his boyfriend with a tired smile on his lips.

     “You’re the one who did everything.”

     Makoto shushed him, and then kissed him of the lips.

     “You are amazing, and I love you a lot,” he said, before reaching out to pull the covers over their naked bodies.

     “I’m sleepy,” Haru mumbled, snuggling further against his boyfriend’s broad chest.

     “Goodnight, Haru,” Makoto whispered against the boy’s raven’s hair, and then turned the lights out.

     “Goodnight, Makoto.”

     They fell asleep after one last sweet kiss, enveloped in their shared warmth.

 ~•~

     Haru had to try at least five times before the key finally entered the keyhole. He dragged himself inside the apartment, and crouched down to pet Misha before collapsing against the door with a sigh. When Makoto appeared from the kitchen, greeting him with that warm smile of his, Haru remembered how his father used to say that coming home was the best part of the day. He hadn’t really understood why, until he began to experience what it was like to be greeted by someone you love after a long day.

     “Welcome home, Haru,” Makoto said, wrapping his arms loosely around the boy’s waist. He kissed him softly, and Haru couldn’t stop himself from humming contentedly against his lips. Coming home was _definitely_ the best part of the day.

     Makoto was still smiling when they parted, and the familiar warmth of his green gaze felt like a miracle to the boy.

     “How was your first day of class?” he asked.

     “Ugh…” Haru groaned, letting his forehead fall on Makoto’s shoulder. The taller man laughed, and hugged him tighter against his chest.

     “Exhausting, I guess?”

     “The new teacher _sucks,_ ” Haru mumbled.

     “Let me guess,” Makoto said, running his hands over Haru’s back. “Kaibara?”

     “How did you know?” Haru asked, surprised.

     “Because Kaibara sucks,” Makoto said dryly, earning a small nod of agreement from his boyfriend. “But he’s actually a good teacher, I guess, once you get used to his… lovely teaching methods.”

     “Everyone else missing you already. I think Makiguchi was about to cry today,” Haru said, reluctantly leaving Makoto’s warm embrace to walk towards the kitchen. As much as he loved being surrounded by his boyfriend’s comforting warmth, the boy was starving.

     Makoto followed him, and leaned against the doorframe to watch as Haru tied his apron around his waist, and took out a frozen mackerel from the fridge.

     “Since you moved in with me, all we eat is mackerel,” Makoto said, smiling with amusement when the boy glared at a loudly meowing Misha, and whispered a tiny _“I do not share my mackerel”_.

     “Because mackerel is perfect,” Haru said, once his glaring match with the cat was ended when Misha rubbed himself against his calves.

     “Well,” Makoto said after a little while. “I’m gonna take a bath. Feel free to join me, Haru.” With a tiny wink in the raven’s direction, he turned around to leave.

     Haru’s eyes remained on Makoto’s broad back for a second or two, before he quickly turned off the stove, and took off his apron. Suddenly, he wasn’t feeling so hungry anymore.

~•~

     “Come on, Haru! Just forget about Tokyo and come live here!”

     Haru sighed, making sure the sound of his exasperation reached Rin’s side of the line.

     “You’re so annoying… Yamazaki is already there, isn’t he? Not everyone can live in Australia, Rin,” he said, and then smiled at Makoto when he started petting his hair. Lately, lying on the couch with his head on Makoto’s lap while the older man read had become one of Haru’s favourite activities.

     “Sousuke came here because he’s smart. And even after all these years, I refuse to accept that you’re dumb.”

     “I like Tokyo,” Haru said, closing his eyes to enjoy the feel of Makoto’s fingers scraping softly against his scalp.

     “Nah, you like Makoto. He can come too!”

     “Rin, we’re not going to Australia.”

     “Well, you could at least come visit me!” Rin whined, and Haru rolled his eyes, despite knowing that the redhead couldn’t see him. “And bring Gou with you. She started dating that dumb redhead without my permission…”

     “Dumb redhead…” Haru mumbled. “Sounds a lot like you.”

     “Shut up, Lolita!”

     “I’m not a Lolita!”

     “You even know what a Lolita is?”

     “I asked Makoto…”

     Rin’s loud laughter filled Haru’s ear. The boy glanced up at Makoto, who was way too immersed in the book he was reading to even notice that his glasses were about to slip from his nose.

     “Or maybe I can come visit you,” Rin said, just as Haru reached up to adjust his boyfriend’s glasses. “I reeeeeally want to meet Makoto. A guy who can accept the water as his romantic rival has to be an interesting person,”

     “He’d probably get along with Yamazaki,” Haru said with a tiny smirk. “Seeing as the poor guy had to accept all your dumb hair products as _his_ rival.”

     “Did you just _sass_ me, you little shit?” Rin said. A few seconds passed, before they both burst out laughing. Haru was too busy clutching to his stomach to notice the look of endearment that Makoto was giving him, but he nuzzled against the man’s hand when he tenderly placed it on his cheek.

     Suddenly, a low voice reached Haru from Rin’s side of the line, saying something that sounded a lot like _“Wanna join me?”_

“I gotta go, Haru,” Rin said, evidently distracted by something Haru couldn't see. “Sousuke’s naked and I’m about to jump him right fucking _now._ ”

     “I didn’t want to know that…” Haru muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose while willing his mind to forget all thoughts about his best friend having sex.

     “Talk to you later, Harulita!” were Rin’s last words, before the call was ended.

     “Harulita?” Haru said, glaring at the phone.

     “Mmmm?” Makoto said, eyes still fixed on his book.

“Rin manages to make me want to punch every time he calls,” Haru said, throwing his phone on the couch.

     “But you were laughing really loudly just now,” Makoto said, pushing the boy’s hair back to look into his eyes.

     “That’s because Rin is an idiot.”

     Without another word, Haru sat up, and pressed his lips to Makoto’s. He grabbed the book from his boyfriend’s hands, and placed it on the couch next to him without breaking the kiss.

     “You remind me of Misha sometimes,” Makoto said when the parted. Haru frowned, and stared at the cat (who was sleeping soundly on the carpet) and failed, as always, to see the resemblance between them. Makoto laughed, earning a tiny glare from the dark-haired boy. “Both of you always demand my attention when I’m trying to read,” he explained, leaning in to kiss Haru again.

     “Well, keep reading ,then,” the boy said, and then yelped when Makoto grabbed him, and sat him back on his lap to kiss him deeply.

     “Actually, I think kissing you is _way_ more interesting,” he said, pressing his forehead against Haru’s.

     When Makoto kissed him again, Haru found himself thinking that being kissed by his boyfriend was, in fact, the most interesting thing he could think of.

 ~•~

     “Haru, wake up!” Makoto’s voice reached him as if he were far, far away, instead of sitting on the bed next to him. “You’re gonna miss your flight!”

     Haru scrunched up his nose, and stirred on the bed. He slowly opened his eyes, and was greeted by the sight of his boyfriend, surrounded by the morning light that filtered through the window. He looked positively _angelical_.

     “You’re so pretty…” Haru whispered, and Makoto chuckled.

     “You’re very pretty too, but if you don’t get up, Rin will be very angry,” Makoto said. “Especially now that he finally convinced you to go visit him.”

     Haru sat up on the bed, and rubbed his eyes, yawning deeply.

     “I wish you would come with me,” he said, voice laced with sleepiness.

     Makoto leaned in to place a small kiss on his forehead.

     “I will go with you next time, I promise,” he said, before getting up to leave the bedroom. “I’m gonna make breakfast!” he called back, sounding way too cheery at such an early hour.

     When Haru entered the kitchen, already bathed and dressed, he was greeted by an unexpected sight.

     “Makoto,” the boy called out, standing on the doorway of the kitchen with a confused expression. “Why is there a cat in our kitchen?”

     “That’s Misha, isn’t it?” Makoto’s voice reached him from the bedroom.

     “Another one. There is a strange cat in our kitchen,” Haru said, staring blankly at the tiny orange kitten that was seating calmly next to Misha. “Why is there a strange cat in our kitchen?”

     “Ah, he must’ve come through the window or something!” Makoto answered, sounding suspiciously nervous.

     “Makoto…”

      The older man didn’t answer, and Haru was about to call his name again, when Makoto emerged from the bedroom, and ran across the living room to stand in front of him.

     “Please, Haru, let me keep her!” he pleaded, grabbing the boy by the shoulders.

     “We already have a cat!” Haru exclaimed, pointing at Misha, who stopped licking his paw to look at him.

      “But she was so cold and alone last night, and I couldn’t just leave her on the street!” Makoto said. He walked over to the orange kitten to pick her up and hug her against his chest. “We can’t kick Lila out, look how cute she is!”

     “You already named her?” Haru exclaimed disbelievingly.

     “Haru, please!” Makoto supplicated. “Even Misha likes her!”

     Haru stared at the black cat, who in turned looked up at him and blinked, before getting up and rubbing himself on Makoto’s leg. It was almost as if he was saying _“I’m with him on this one”_. The raven sighed, and ran his hands down his face.

     “Fine!” he said, and his boyfriend immediately broke into a grin.

     “Thanks, Haru!” Makoto exclaimed, and left the kitten on the floor before running to hug the boy. “I love you!”

     “But I’m not taking care of her.”

     “Yes, I’ll do it all by myself!” Makoto promised, still hugging him tightly.

     Haru sighed, already knowing that we would end up taking the new cat to the vet every time. But when Makoto pulled back to grin widely at him, the boy concluded that he would gladly take care of every cat in the neighbourhood, if that meant he could keep seeing that gorgeous smile.

 ~•~

     Makoto loved Haru. He loved the face he made when he was sleeping, and the way he scrunched up his nose and rubbed his eyes when Makoto woke him up. He loved how much time he took in the tub, so much that he often had to pull the boy out of the water so he wouldn’t be late to class. He loved how often he had to push back those dark locks of hair from his face, only to get momentarily lost in the infinite depths of his blue eyes, and how often they ended up kissing each other breathless when Makoto let out whispered expressions of awe at the boy’s intoxicating beauty.

     He loved waking up next to Haru, loved that it was Haru’s smell, and his warmth that surrounded him every morning when he opened his eyes, and that Haru’s voice was the first and last one he heard every day. He loved the way he caught him blushing so often, despite the boy’s efforts to hide his reddened cheeks behind his bangs. He loved how deeply he blushed when Makoto kissed him on the train, or in the street, and he loved the way his eyes glistened when Makoto told him just how much he adored him. He loved the words “I love you” every time they left Haru’s lips, whether he whispered them between kisses, or shouted them from the bathroom when Makoto was leaving.

     He loved the way Haru whimpered, and moaned, and gasped when they were making love, how he clutched to Makoto as if he were afraid of losing him, as if the last remains of his consciousness, already drowned in pleasure and utter love, urged him to hold tightly to his lover and never let go again. He loved how dark Haru’s eyes turned when they lost themselves to their arousal, and how confident and steady his hands became as they travelled across Makoto’s body. He loved how soft his skin was, how easily he got goose bumps under his lover’s strokes, and how eager he was to wrap himself around Makoto and simply let himself go.

     He loved knowing that Haru loved him too. He loved being loved by Haru.

     He loved Haru, and that was it. Makoto loved Nanase Haruka, and that was all he needed: to love, and be loved.

 ~•~

     Haru didn’t remember a single moment of his life that hadn’t involved an almost reverent love for water. Even when he was not _in_ or _near_ the water, he was always thinking about it, about the crystalline surface that welcomed him with open arms, and the tranquil transparency that made him want to close his eyes and float in it for the rest of his days. At a very young age, Haru had already found the love of his life, yearning for nothing more than to submerge in its immensity and be _free._

     Yes, Haru loved water.

     But there was something he loved more. Something that had replaced water as “ _The Love of Nanase Haruka’s Life”_. And that was Tachibana Makoto, with his warm smile, and his gentle green eyes. Because when Makoto smiled at him, when he looked at him with those perfect green orbs, Haru felt nothing but the purest, most absolute adoration. Nanase Haruka loved Tachibana Makoto.

     And he loved the infinity of summers that awaited them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it! Thanks for sticking with me till the end, and thanks for all your support. Every time someone commented or left kudos, I was incredibly happy :) You're all amazing, and I hope you enjoyed this story! <3
> 
> As always, come talk to me at allen-walkers on Tumblr! :)


End file.
